For many, Path of Exile is probably the prime example of what good free-to-play looks like. However, those who want to play Part 2 will have to pay first.
How does free-to-play work in Path of Exile? Path of Exile has always been funded solely through player purchases. The game has received continuous free updates since its release in October 2013, introducing new features regularly. Those who wanted to could play the game since its release without spending a single cent.
However, Path of Exile offers many cosmetic items for purchase in its shop. Additionally, players can buy some things that make their lives easier, such as additional storage tabs. Mainly, however, a variety of skins, animations, or items like a music player in their base are sold.
Once purchased, the microtransactions apply to the entire account and can be switched between characters. Thus, Path of Exile only receives money when players consciously decide to buy something.
Here you can see how bosses are created in Path of Exile 2:
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Path of Exile 2: The new trailer reveals how the bosses of the action RPG come into being
Path of Exile 2 will also be free, but not immediately
How does it work in Path of Exile 2? The successor of the free-to-play game will also be free, but there is a catch. When Path of Exile 2 starts in Early Access on Steam, PS5, and XBOX in December, the game will cost $30. The developers recently wrote this on X.com.
Since prices for video games are usually not simply converted one-to-one, it can be assumed that we can expect a price of around €30 in Europe.
The price only applies during the “Early Access” period of the game. However, how long this will last is still unknown. Exact information could be clarified on November 21, 2024. On that day, the developers will hold a livestream at 21:00 on Twitch. So, those who want to play Path of Exile 2 completely free will have to be patient.
How does the community react to the price? The community has mixed feelings on the topic. Users like @FervorGamingYT find the price on X.com to be good: “Oh, as I thought, that’s a pretty good price point. It’s low enough that I think new players will be willing to jump in!”
dignity also finds the price in the comments of our article on the game to be okay: “I can hardly think of fairer F2P games, I consider GGG [editor’s note: developer of Path of Exile] to be relatively honorable, whether they label it as EA or supporter pack or both – I trust that they will deliver…”
However, there are also opposing voices. Steve is dissatisfied with the price in the comments of the same article: “Idiotic! Why should I pay for helping the developer make their game better? How absolutely brain-dead is that? […] They should actually be paying me as a player for ‘testing’ their unfinished product, because that’s all it is, with Early Access.”
The user @bobdole25875848 also criticizes the price on X.com: “$30 for less than half a game. No, thanks. If the estimates are correct and the game is released next year around May, that’s a huge letdown. […]”
The PS5 Pro has just hit the market and is supposed to deliver better performance than its predecessor for a hefty price of nearly 800 euros. However, social media is now flooded with posts indicating that this is not the case.
What should the PS5 do better? The PS5 Pro is expected to provide a significantly better performance than the PS5. Specifically, this means among other things, that the graphics card should have 67% more compute units, rendering should be 45% faster, improved ray tracing, AI upscaling for certain games, and a 28% faster memory.
Additionally, there will be a Game Boost that stabilizes and improves PS4 and PS5 games. Furthermore, there is a larger storage of 2 TB, and Wifi 7 is supported. The new feature PSSR, an upscaler, is supposed to upscale older games on the PS5 Pro to improved graphics.
This hardware should ensure 4K graphics and stable 60 FPS while gaming. However, some players are now noticing on social media that the games look worse on the new console in some cases, despite the better hardware.
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Sony releases the official reveal trailer for the PS5 Pro
Graphics Issues – Due to a New Great Feature
What are the players complaining about?On Reddit, for example, USDOT complains that the remake of Silent Hill looks significantly worse: The graphics of the game do not do justice to the expensive console.
In performance mode, it would achieve the 60 FPS, but then the reflections are broken. Textures would also look blurry. The game is tagged as approved for PS5 Pro but does not live up to that. Digital Foundry confirms the issues.
Similar descriptions come from @gamerdotone on X.com regarding Jedi: Survivor. Under a post from Digital Foundry, X.com user @Agolice7 provides an example: The action-RPG Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has similar problems – The PSSR does not handle the light well.
What are possible solutions? There is probably no single solution for the occurring problems. Specifically, for the Silent Hill remake, the studio is working on a specific patch to make the game suitable for PS5 Pro. According to Digital Foundry, there is currently no specific release date for it.
However, the fundamental problem seems to be the poor upscaling via the new PSSR technology for all the criticized PS5 Pro versions. Specifically, Digital Foundry observed that since Patch 1.05, using PSSR has led to graphical issues in the Silent Hill remake, such as jittery bushes, puddles, and broken reflections.
Since the problems with Jedi: Survivor and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are also of a graphical nature, there is a high chance that these two games will also need a proper PSSR patch before they run well on the PS5 Pro.
The role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3 is now over a year old. Now one of the heads announces that it is currently more popular than at the same time last year and even gives the reason for it.
Then Douse gets specific. According to him, the stats of Baldur’s Gate 3 compared to the same period last year look as follows:
The daily player peaks are 3% higher.
The daily active users are 20% higher.
The average Steam Deck player numbers are 61% higher.
For these very good numbers over a year after the release, Michael Douse even has a very concrete explanation.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is 1 year old and to celebrate the creators share your dirty secrets
Even more popular than the previous year? Because of the content from the community!
Why is that? For Michael Douse, there is a very clear explanation for the good numbers: The newly introduced mod support.
With the last major patch, Baldur’s Gate 3 introduced official mod support. While there were already mods on Steam and platforms like Nexusmods before, now they can mostly be selected and managed directly in the game. This makes usage worlds easier.
The mod support is, by the way, enough reason for some players to go for a second, third, or even sixth run: Reddit user Glorf_Warlock writes that the mods make the gameplay feel fresh again.
What about mods for the game? In fact, Baldur’s Gate 3 now has over 13,000 different mods. There are new hairstyles, clothing items, skins for the dice in the game, bug fixes, but also new classes and races. A player has supposedly looked at all available mods and recommends 10.
There are even mods that are recommended to you by the developers at Larian themselves – You can find them here. With over 13,000 options for various expansions for the game, there should be a suitable mod for almost every player.
If you are currently in a fresh run of Baldur’s Gate 3, with or without mods, it is particularly important in the special Honour Runs that you pay attention to your decisions. Because even a romance can cost you the run if you’re not careful.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Recently, Eintracht Spandau announced that they want to bring the two Twitch streamers Trymacs and Chefstrobel into their team. However, this announcement has now been retracted. The reason: Both must have at least a Diamond-3 rank in League of Legends to play as professional players.
What kind of announcement was that? On November 18, 2024, Eintracht Spandau posted on X, formerly Twitter, that they had signed the two Twitch streamers as new players for 2025. With them in the player roster, another victory in the European Championship was aimed for.
HandOfBlood, in his role as President Knabe, railed against the negative reactions on X and said: “It cost us a fortune to sign the two. Still, I am firmly convinced that with exactly such highlights in sports operations we can make a difference.”
HandOfBlood is one of the co-founders of Eintracht Spandau. We introduce you to the Twitch streamer in the video:
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HandOfBlood: The most important thing about the YouTuber and Twitch streamer in under a minute
Eintracht Spandau admits to “mistakes”
What is this “mistake”? On November 19, 2024, just one day later, Eintracht Spandau posted on X that they only realized that professional players must have at least a Diamond-3 rank. Players with a rank below that cannot play in the Prime League.
But now, even the last person in the community realizes: This is a joke. After all, a professional team like Eintracht Spandau knows that a player must have at least a Diamond-3 rank to be signed.
What are the reactions from the community? The community reacted to the post with sarcasm:
CledinatorX (on X): “Thanks for these insane games. We will never forget you, Max and Chef”
Debakelna (on X): “Huh, with a lot of coaching, Strobel can definitely make it by the end of the year”
OberbayerTV (on X): “Can I return my Chefstrobel jersey?”
Chefstrobel also joined in on the sarcastic reactions and posted on X: “Thanks for the hefty severance package and a year’s supply of Knabemalz”
Even though Eintracht Spandau has announced that they will focus more on entertainment rather than another victory in the European Championship, the recruitment of Trymacs and Chefstrobel has always been quite unlikely. However, the clarification has now also caught the last ones in the community.
In Star Wars: The Old Republic, your characters are in danger as they might lose their names. Here’s what you need to do.
Most players associate a lot with their character names in MMORPGs. It can be a nickname used across many games, a name with special significance for role-playing, or simply a pun that they found particularly clever.
It’s frustrating when you lose your character name after years. However, that’s exactly what threatens to happen in SWTOR, as the developers will release the names of countless characters if the associated accounts remain inactive.
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The new developers of the Star Wars MMORPG show in the video how they will improve the graphics
Which names are affected? All character names from accounts that have not logged in since January 2024. So if you have been inactive for the last 11 months and do not log in again by the end of the year, your character names will be affected.
Accounts that have a permanent subscription are not affected – regardless of whether they log in regularly or not. Only free-to-play accounts that are inactive have to worry about their names.
What happens to inactive names? Inactive names are not directly “deleted”. Instead, they end up in a pool of “released” names. This means your character keeps the name until someone else wishes to use that name – only then do you lose it.
If that is the case and you still want to return in the future, you can expect a free rename of your character upon logging in.
How can you save your names? You only need to log in to SWTOR with the relevant characters once before the end of the year. Once you have done that, your names are safe for the time being – at least until the next release. So if you are particularly attached to the names of your SWTOR characters, you might want to start up the MMORPG again and make sure no one snatches the name away.
Why is SWTOR doing this? The fact that names in larger MMORPGs are released after a while is not entirely new – this also happens regularly in other games, such as World of Warcraft. With the passage of time, many names are simply taken and it becomes increasingly difficult to find a nice name without many special characters for your own character. After all, no one wants to be called Xxshádôwkíllêrxx, except – well – very special people.
Scrubs is a popular comedy series that shows the doctors at Sacred Heart Hospital at work. The focus is on J.D. and his group of friends. The series ran for 9 seasons. MeinMMO presents the 10 best episodes of the series in the ranking.
What is Scrubs?Scrubs aired from 2001 to 2010 and received 9 seasons. In this doctor series, the absurd often takes center stage, featuring daydreams or silly situations among the quirky characters. But aside from that, Scrubs also offers emotional moments that remain memorable.
How was this ranking created? The ranking is a personal list by MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes. If your favorite episode is missing, feel free to let us know in the comments.
[toc]
Turk and J.D. returned for a Superbowl commercial:
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That T-Mobile Home Internet Feeling – 2024 Big Game Day Commercial
Honorable Mentions
My Roundup (Season 2 Episode 1)
My Friend the Janitor(Season 5 Episode 19)
My Musical (Season 6 Episode 6)
My Supporting Characters (Season 6 Episode 17)
10. My Best Moment (Season 4 Episode 12)
What happens in the episode? It’s Christmas at Sacred Heart again, but a father is admitted and his little son is with him in the hospital. Throughout the episode, the boy encounters several characters, prompting each doctor to feel the urge to help the father.
What makes the episode so good? There are several Christmas episodes in Scrubs, but My Best Moment captures a cheesy Christmas feeling the best. Even the usually cold Dr. Kelso becomes sentimental because of the boy and tries to help. An episode that can be watched every Christmas.
9. My Lucky Diagnosis (Season 7 Episode 9)
What happens in the episode? Thanks to Elliot, the hospital board learned that Dr. Kelso is actually too old to continue working as chief of surgery. With the entire hospital staff, Elliot ultimately convinces the board to keep Kelso, but he declines.
What makes the episode so good?My Lucky Diagnosis is one of the best episodes dedicated to Dr. Kelso. He mainly tells a young intern how things work in the hospital, explaining many difficult concepts. However, when the young doctor asks if his time will be hell, Kelso simply says: I think you will love it.
This is a beautiful moment with Dr. Kelso, showing once again after 7 seasons that the character loved his job. This is also evident in what is probably the only moment he is nice to Ted, thanking him for his work. Coupled with a lovely patient moment, this is the best episode of season 7.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
One of the biggest revelations in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be quite crushing. Yet the community is celebrating it.
Baldur’s Gate 3 will probably be regarded as one of the best RPGs ever for a long time, and it will likely take a while before any game can surpass it. However, while the majority of the community is happy with the game, not everyone is. One person is even quite disappointed when one of the story’s secrets is revealed – because he “wasted” many hours on it.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is 1 year old and to celebrate the creators share your dirty secrets
What happened? In the Baldur’s Gate 3 subreddit, brynoo5 writes in the post “I can’t express how disappointed I am”:
You should have seen my face when I found out at the beginning of Act 3 that the Guardian was actually the Emperor all along… I invested so much time creating the woman of my dreams and even installed mods for it and… it all ended with me being deceived by a tentacled bastard.
This is how the community reacts: Although the post seems quite negative at first glance, people seem to be having a good laugh about Brynoo5’s fate – there are now over 6,000 upvotes. For most, it is even clear: that’s exactly the appeal of Baldur’s Gate 3, and by feeling this way, Brynoo5 achieved exactly what the game intended: to build a lie with the Guardian.
So Weekly_Rock_5440 writes:
The creature literally read your mind and created a disguise to gain your trust. On a meta-level, it’s one of the most brilliant parts of the game that you have to design the Guardian yourself.
Others, however, are rather astonished that he managed to avoid spoilers about the identity of the Guardian for a whole year – and even installed a ton of mods before the game was even completed.
The community celebrates the Emperor: Basically, the Emperor is quite popular with the community due to his wicked manipulations. Especially the fact that he appears as a dream being and repeatedly assures how much he protects you fits beautifully into the narrative of the game. Some even note that they never learned many details about the Emperor because they were nice to him – because many of his big lies are only experienced when you are really mean to him and doubt him repeatedly.
A scandal in Destiny 2 led to fans grinding for the best rolls of their weapons longer than previously thought. The developers acknowledged this, fixed the problem, and are now rewarding all players with powerful and free weapons.
What was the scandal?It is the infamous ‘Weightgate’. If someone wanted to farm a God Roll, that player had only a chance of obtaining the desired roll with a bit of luck – whereas all possible roll combinations should have had the same chance of dropping.
However, with Weightgate, the system intentionally reduced the chances of getting the best roll configurations. You only get “bad” rolls unless you waste your luck for the next 10 years of your life.
Fans ultimately managed to discover the Weightgate, and Bungie was able to mitigate the issue with a patch and fix the error. As compensation, the developers have put together some strong weapons that you can now get for free since the start of Act 2.
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Destiny 2: The launch trailer for the new episode ‘Returners’
Banshee is feeling generous at the Tower
Which weapons are available for free? If you’re looking for the weapons, you’ll find them at the Tower with Banshee-44, the gunsmith. The following rolls can be grabbed:
Are these God Rolls? Kinda. These are solid weapon rolls that can be used well for DPS phases in boss fights, add-clears, and PvP. Unfortunately, they are not God Rolls according to the current meta.
On IMDb, the highest-rated anime episode has a score of 9.8/10 possible points. The new episode of a current anime achieves this rating because it is so emotional that many viewers have to cry.
Since the manga has been running since 2021, fans already know what will happen in the anime. Nevertheless, the latest episode touched them so much that they had to cry in droves. Even viewers who are not familiar with the manga are delighted by the emotional episode.
You can watch the trailer for Dandadan here:
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DAN DA DAN – Trailer reveals the release date of the anime
New Episode of Dandadan Almost Reaches the Highest Rating on IMDb
What episode is this? Aira, a classmate of Okarun and Momo, was swallowed by a ghost named Acrobatic Silky and died in the process. The ghost had been stalking Aira for a long time because Aira mistakenly confused her with her own mother, which is why Acrobatic Silky saw her as her own daughter.
After the ghost offered to sacrifice its own soul for Aira, Aira’s past was revealed, which was intense. Before her death, she was a mother of a young daughter. To give her daughter a good life, she worked as a prostitute at night.
She also loves ballet, leading to a beautiful scene where she dances for herself. We can see the clip in the video by YouTuber Upscale Studio’s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9PDcUxome4
But one day, the family life was disrupted by a raid in which the young daughter was kidnapped. The mother’s wrists were slashed by shards of glass, causing her to collapse during the chase on the street and be resurrected as a ghost. This is why she was so happy when Aira mistook her for her own mother. Even at the end, when she revived Aira, she received a comforting hug before dissolving forever.
Why is it so good? Many users on social media express how emotional they found this episode. On X, for example, 7vazzq writes that the episode broke his heart. Since many fans share his opinion, the episode has achieved an almost perfect rating of 9.8/10 on IMDb.
MeinMMO editor Jasmin says: The staging of the drama is unmatched. The music is highly emotional, and the scenes where the mother dances ballet are beautifully animated. Combined with the tragic story, the ghost’s past moved not only Momo but many viewers to tears (myself included).
This is the highest rating that an episode has ever achieved. The episode of Dandadan does not take the top spot on IMDb because other episodes have been rated by even more users. The episode has been rated by around 9,800 people. Currently, an episode from the anime Code Geass is in the lead.
Where can I watch Dandadan? You can currently watch Dandadan on both Cruncyhroll and Netflix. Here, you can not only find the Japanese dub with German subtitles but also the German dub. You can find an overview of all streaming services that offer anime here: Anime streaming in Germany: Which provider is right for me?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
An employee eats a croquette that was left over after work. His company subsequently dismisses him. The employee sues his company and wins the case. It involves 40,000 euros.
An employee of Mercadona, the largest supermarket chain in Spain with total sales of almost 18 billion euros, ate a leftover croquette after work. The company dismissed him for this, as they saw it as a violation of internal regulations.
However, the former employee challenged the dismissal. Now the Supreme Court of Castilla-La Mancha has ruled on the case.
An employee retrieves a croquette from the trash and is dismissed for it
What was the situation? The Spanish website Xataka.com reports that employees of a Mercadona branch had to clean up the trash. One of the employees passed by the ready-to-eat section. He took a croquette from a blister pack and ate it.
Later, the store manager confronted the employee. The employee voluntarily admitted that he had taken a single croquette and eaten it without paying for it. Following that, the supervisor reminded the individual of the ban on employees consuming products without payment. The items were intended for the trash and would never have returned to sale.
Still on the same day, Mercadona communicated the disciplinary dismissal, describing the offense as “very serious” and paid the person a severance of 944.38 euros.
What did the company argue? The supermarket chain stated that the employee was aware of the regulations, including the ban on consuming any kind of products. Furthermore, the company accused the individual of eating not just a single croquette, but an entire pack.
According to the supermarket chain, this represents “fraudulent behavior, disloyalty or breach of trust” and “theft, robbery or embezzlement which have been committed both against the company and the employees.”
Start video
Chef ruined his company in 59 seconds on Twitch – What happened to him?
Dismissal is unjustified and the company must pay compensation
How did the court react: In a ruling by the Social Division of the Supreme Court of Castilla-La Mancha (TSJ), the court declares the dismissal of an employee of a Mercadona store in Toledo to be unjustified.
As stated in the ruling from October 15, the Supreme Court does not uphold the disciplinary dismissal and classifies it as an unjustified dismissal, as it is disproportionate, thus agreeing with the lower court that ruled in this sense.
The supreme court additionally states that it was a product intended for waste that could not be sold again, and that it involved a single croquette, which cannot be regarded as fraudulent or dishonest behavior or disloyalty. Such behavior would not warrant the dismissal of an employee.
How does the matter end? The Supreme Court of Castilla-La Mancha ordered Mercadona to reinstate the dismissed employee or pay compensation of 40,000 euros. According to the third largest Spanish newspaper El País, Mercadona confirms that no arbitration procedure was initiated and that it will pay the compensation set by the court for unjustified dismissal.
The raids in Pokémon GO have received a small update. This is really strong and makes it easier to participate in raids with your friends.
Raids are an essential part of the game in Pokémon GO. Here you can fight against Pokémon together with friends and other trainers, and catch them after a successful battle.
To participate in a raid, you need a raid pass. These come in a standard version that allows you to participate in a raid on-site, and as a remote raid pass, which lets you be part of the raid from a distance.
Now there has been a change to the raids that could be a real advantage for many trainers. And all without the use of Campfire.
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Dynamax in Pokémon Go – How to participate in the gigantic battles
Easier raiding with friends
What is this change? Previously, it was necessary for your friends to invite you directly to a raid, but now you can also join a raid that your friends are participating in.
You can now see in your friends list whether your friends are participating in a raid, and you can also sort the list by friends who are in a raid.
To join raids in this way, you need a remote raid pass if you are not physically present at the raid.
In the friends list, you can sort your friends by participating in a raid
Additionally, it is possible for you to invite your own friends after joining a raid through your friends list. This can make it much easier to find enough trainers for a raid.
For example, if you start a raid yourself and 2 friends from your friends list join the raid, then you already have 3 trainers in the lobby. If those two friends then each invite another friend, you already have a lobby with 5 trainers.
Can I disable this? Yes. If you do not want to use this feature, you can also disable the option for your friends. To do this, go to the settings and navigate to “General”. Here you will find the option “Share raid participation with friends” under the “Sharing” section.
Amazon Prime is on a roll when it comes to thriller series. Following Jack Reacher and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, the third iconic US thriller hero has been turned into a series: the black psychologist Alex Cross, usually played by Morgan Freeman, is transformed into a young, dynamic hero who prefers to run through walls.
What’s going on at Amazon? Amazon has now released the third thriller series focused on a particularly masculine, particularly American hero. All these characters originally come from novels that you know from the cinema:
It all started in 2018 with “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” – John Krasinski plays the analyst who becomes a CIA agent for three seasons. Jack Ryan is the “archetype” of how a conservative American envisions a superhero that saves the USA “in real life”. In the movies, Harrison Ford or Ben Affleck have portrayed versions of Jack Ryan. Most recently, Chris Pine took on the role.
The series “Reacher”, which started in 2022, took a much rougher approach: Jack Reacher is a hulking ex-soldier who is approached by everyone about what a beast he is. Reacher is the modern version of a classic Western hero who rides into a foreign town by bus, takes a quick look around, and ensures justice. There are explosions, and the bad guys have to swallow lead while the hero methodically unravels the case. In the films, the much too slight Tom Cruise played the role.
Now on Amazon Prime, the series “Alex Cross” has started. This is also an iconic American thriller hero: the black psychologist gets into the minds of serial killers, outsmarts them in their own game, and brings them down. In the movies, there is a much older Alex Cross, who is already settled down and played by Morgan Freeman. The Alex Cross on Amazon is significantly younger: Aldis Hodge is 38 years old, 49 years younger than Morgan Freeman.
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Cross – Trailer for the new crime series on Amazon
The new Amazon series about Alex Cross impresses with strong supporting characters
Is the new series Alex Cross worth it? Yes, Alex Cross is a nice series that can be watched in 2 or 3 days. Although the series suffers from some typical thriller clichés, it is enjoyable to follow the characters and guess who the killers are and which character is playing a dirty game.
Especially the supporting characters are well cast and depicted: Alex Cross himself is a hero plagued by traumatic events, who is always right but is never believed by anyone.
He has a childhood friend and colleague who always stands by him, but whom Cross often pushes away so much that even he is slowly getting fed up.
Additionally, there is an arrogant police chief who would rather be mayor, a pregnant supervisor, scheming and bickering colleagues, and a mysterious FBI agent who is overly helpful and flirts too much to be trusted.
When Cross gets home, he has a family that you instantly fall in love with – including a proud girlfriend who loves him fiercely despite everything and an ultra-competent grandmother.
The life feel that Cross radiates is beautiful: the man treats himself well, has a Mustang, loves good Pappy-van-Winkle whiskey, and the chili cheeseburger in his favorite diner.
Alex Cross impresses with a brilliant killer who really has good ideas
This is the special charm of the series:
The highlight of Alex Cross, however, are the psychopathic villains that the psychologist deals with. There is a whole roster of people who are fun to hate:
There is a psychopathic murderer millionaire with a sick fascination for serial killers
Of course, he has ruthless helpers, like an ex-cop who takes way too much pleasure in torture and lurking
But we also get to know a tormented soul who took a wrong turn in their life and then followed the wrong path for too long
The series wavers in tone. At some points, Alex Cross takes itself terribly seriously and practically bathes in the psychological terror that the characters are exposed to. But then a cool rap soundtrack kicks in during a classic action scene.
Especially Cross’s sidekick has some really good scenes that are entertaining and cleverly play with the idea that an alpha male has to play second fiddle for 30 years to his childhood friend who is always right. That would probably get on anyone’s nerves over time.
The serial killer has some scenes that at their best remind you of “The Silence of the Lambs”. At times, he has really clever ideas that are worthy of a psychopathic killer genius.
In 2024, there were attempts by major publishers to outdo each other with a historical strategy game simulation from the Civilization series. In March 2024, strategy experts Paradox tried with Millenia, and in September 2024, Microsoft tried its luck with Ara: History Untold. By the end of 2024, one must soberly acknowledge: it was nothing, as the player numbers on Steam show.
This is the situation with historical 4x strategy games: Since the 1990s, Sid Meier’s Civilization has dominated the scene. Part 6 was released in 2016 and has received 12 DLCs or expansions. Part 7 is planned for 2025.
2024 was supposed to change that, and the monopoly of Civilization was finally meant to fall: Two challengers from well-known publishers launched to seize the time until Civilization 7 appears, aiming to conquer the market of historical 4x strategy games.
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Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 shows gameplay in the trailer
Millenia – Good approaches, but teething problems hinder the breakthrough
How it went for Millenia: The 4x strategy game was released in March 2024 and was published by Paradox Interactive, real specialists in strategy games.
Millenia focused on city development and divides the game into individual ages. Depending on the conditions met by the technologically leading player, “golden ages” or “dark ages” can dawn for all players.
However, Millenia launched with some teething problems that denied the game great success: For example, cities could not be demolished. Since the AI built very tightly and cities need a lot of space to develop, it affected the fun of the game.
Meanwhile, the worst bugs have been fixed, and just a few days ago the second expansion was released, but the player numbers on Steam remain disappointing:
At its peak during the release, Millenia reached “only” 4,717 players on Steam
On average, around 260 are now still online
The game never achieved a breakthrough on Steam, and the expansion has brought back only a few players.
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Announcement Teaser Trailer to Millennia
The longer a game of Millenia lasts, the less fun it becomes
What is the problem with Millenia? Millenia suffers from the typical “bloat” of 4x strategy games. As long as you have few cities and can manage each one, the game is fun; but later on, it turns into work to optimally expand many cities. Especially since the power structures in a match are established early on and only shift gradually.
The longer a game of Millenia lasts, the less fun it becomes.
Moreover, there is a severe research race in Millenia, as only the player who is technologically leading can determine which new age to enter. The new DLC brings about two new ages, but you only reach them after countless gaming hours and only if the game goes according to plan.
The mood on Steam was disappointing: the game has a lot of potential and looks fantastic, but drives players crazy because it expects them to keep so much in their heads.
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Ara: History Untold – Trailer for the turn-based strategy game
In the months since the release, the number of players on Steam has fallen from initially 4,260 to just 500. Now a patch is supposed to be released that will turn the game around, but the momentum seems to have been lost.
Also, Ara: History Untold simply required too much effort to provide players with real fun.
We Germans often get teased for being so keen on work in games and then distracting ourselves from our everyday work with games like Factorio. Pirate Software noted that the time when Germans play a video game is also the time when the economic simulation Factorio is most often mentioned in game chat. In his view, that’s the favorite among all Germans because you can work so much:
Microsoft leads us into micromanagement hell with great graphics
This is how Ara works: History Untold: Ara History Untold was launched in September, published by Microsoft. The game scored with great graphics but failed to engage players.
The problems in the game mechanics were evident: The strategy game introduced complicated production chains, but did not give players any means to keep track of them.
The mood on Steam was disappointing: the game has a lot of potential and looks fantastic, but drives players crazy because it expects them to keep so much in their heads.
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Ara: History Untold – Trailer for the turn-based strategy game
In the months since the release, the number of players on Steam has fallen from initially 4,260 to just 500. Now a patch is supposed to be released that will turn the game around, but the momentum seems to have been lost.
Also, Ara: History Untold simply required too much effort to provide players with real fun.
We Germans often get teased for being so keen on work in games and then distracting ourselves from our everyday work with games like Factorio. Pirate Software noted that the time when Germans play a video game is also the time when the economic simulation Factorio is most often mentioned in game chat. In his view, that’s the favorite among all Germans because you can work so much:
Square Enix lets the cat out of the bag and finally shows what lies behind the long-speculated mobile version of Final Fantasy 14. The team also reveals in which region the game will launch first.
What kind of version will it be? Final Fantasy 14 has been one of the most successful MMORPGs for many years. Now, Square Enix in collaboration with Lightspeed Studios has announced the mobile version of the game.
For the mobile version, the story and combat mechanics will be re-developed, so it will be something like “a sister” of Final Fantasy 14, but will not offer the full scope. The controls are designed especially for smartphones.
The following content has been confirmed so far:
At launch, there will be 9 combat jobs and 11 jobs for crafters and gatherers. Players will be able to switch between them at the push of a button.
The equipment items and the weather are also features that will appear in the mobile version from the original MMORPG.
With the story, familiar characters like Thancred, Tataru, and Raubahn from the Hydaelyn saga will return. Players can also face the Primals in the mobile version.
Confirmed so far are also mini-games from the Gold Saucer such as Triple Triad, fishing, and Chocobo racing. The glamour feature will also be back.
The mentorship system will also be present again, where veterans help newcomers to make their entry into the game easier.
We can design our own home in the mobile version and participate in seasonal events.
Players can also decide whether they want to play the mobile game completely alone or with friends. However, the team emphasizes that new friendships can be formed. The focus is on cooperation with other players.
You can find the matching trailer here:
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Final Fantasy XIV Mobile: The Reveal Trailer for the Mobile Version
Mobile version of FF 14 will initially only be released in one country
Who is the game worth it for? The title is meant to be worthwhile for newcomers who have never played Final Fantasy 14. The mentorship system is also designed to simplify the entry into the complex MMORPG.
Veterans can look forward to a nostalgic journey in a new format. However, there is currently no information on whether the progress of the mobile version will affect the PC and console versions in any way.
Where will the mobile Final Fantasy 14 be released? The first playtests are set to take place in China, just like the launch. Only after that will the global release take place. However, it remains to be seen when exactly the release will occur.
Who is Lightspeed Studios?The developer team is a subsidiary of Tencent. The Chinese gaming giant had already used the PC game of League of Legends as a template for a mobile game back in 2015. The success was immense.
But don’t worry: Producer and head of Final Fantasy 14, Naoki Yoshida, is keeping an eye on the development of the mobile version of the MMORPG.
Nicolas Cage is a cult actor who has had quite an exciting career. Comparing his movies over the years, he has constantly evolved and experimented. However, if you’ve never seen a Nicolas Cage film, the actor himself has a recommendation. And it’s not that old.
Which movie is it? Nicolas Cage began his career in 1981 with the television film Best of Times. Since then, he has appeared in 123 films according to IMDb. That’s quite a portfolio. In an interview with The New Yorker, the actor was asked which Nic Cage movie he would recommend for someone who has never seen one. He mentions the film Pig.
I think people can relate to it, because tragedy will eventually hit us all. It’s just a matter of time. It’s also a film that feels to me like a folk song. It’s a very quiet, gentle film, which is the opposite of what we started our conversation with – people think I’m crazy.
The film is not just a favorite for him. Upon its release, it was very well received. You can watch a trailer for the film here:
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Pig – Trailer for the quirky drama featuring Nicolas Cage
Pig is an emotional and slow film
What kind of film is Pig?Pig was released in 2021 and tells the story of truffle hunter Rob. He lives alone in the woods with his truffle pig. One day, however, his pig is kidnapped, and to find it, he must confront his past in Portland.
Pig is quite an unusual film for Nicolas Cage. It is a quiet, melancholic drama mainly about loss. This was well appreciated by critics and viewers. The arthouse film was very well received.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Pig has an impressive score of 97% based on 274 reviews. Users also like the film. With over 250 user reviews, the film has a user score of 84%. The emotions and the calmness of the film are particularly praised. Nicolas Cage also receives a lot of acclaim for his performance.
Nicolas Cage has a fascinating career. He starred in action films for a long time until he became somewhat known for appearing in bad films. However, with films like Mandy in 2018, a small reorientation began. He appeared in quirky films and didn’t take himself too seriously, as seen in Renfield or Massive Talent. Besides Pig, the following films are also recommended:
Dream Scenario (2023)
Longlegs (2024)
Sympathy for the Devil (2023)
Color Out of Space (2019)
In the coming years, audiences can look forward to Nicolas Cage films. One can also be curious about which role he will choose next. In the last few years, he has been exploring different avenues. One of his upcoming projects is a Spider-Man series, about a character he’s already been able to talk about: Nicolas Cage wants to play a cool new superhero in the Marvel universe: “I love the character”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Throne and Liberty, the first castle siege took place over the weekend. MeinMMO author Cedric Holmeier has prepared for this battle for 7 weeks and clarifies whether it was worth it.
Last weekend it was finally time: The first major castle siege in Throne and Liberty was imminent. Seven weeks of preparation were behind me – seven weeks full of intense planning, hard work, and long PvP battles. But was it really worth it in the end?
Who is writing here? Cedric Holmeier is a freelance writer for MeinMMO and mainly deals with MMORPGs from Asia. He has spent thousands of hours playing games like Swords of Legends Online, Metin2, and Jade Dynasty. In Throne and Liberty, he plays in a hardcore guild, aiming to gain control over the game world.
Here you can learn why an active guild in Throne and Liberty is so important:
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Throne and Liberty: Deshalb ist eine große und aktive Gilde so wichtig
The two types of players
In Throne and Liberty, there are two types of players: Some play casually for fun, while others – like me – fight as hardcore gamers right from the start for control over the server.
Seven weeks of preparation are behind us. The siege is to be the epic and biggest event in the new MMORPG, deciding over the control of the game world and currency worth up to €25,000. We don’t want to miss that.
To have any significant chance at the throne, an active and large alliance is necessary. Ideally, this means that 280 people take time off on Sunday afternoon to participate together in the PvP event. Before the MMORPG even launched, we gathered hundreds of players to work toward a common goal.
However, months before the battle, all these players also need to work on their gear, upgrade their skills, and craft all sorts of buff food. To improve my teammates’ gear and PvP skills, I fight for the PvP field bosses in the game every single day. This quickly adds up to a 40-hour week on top of my job.
Most of the time is spent in PvP fights, as every PvP boss that our players do not participate in means not only no loot for our guild but also loot for the opponents. Of course, we want to prevent that, as it decreases our chances at the castle.
In the week leading up to the castle siege, I spend my free time developing strategies for capturing the castle. I work with my guild members to establish the right route, appropriate group divisions, and alliances with other alliances to avoid getting in each other’s way.
How good the plan is and whether all preparations and my decisions work out will only become clear in the battle itself.
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As the moment finally arrives and we go into battle, I am a bit nervous. A short while before, a secret plan of the enemy guilds became known. They want to kidnap the golem necessary to tear down the castle walls. This will buy them time. We must prevent that and adjust our tactics just before the start.
As the 15 minutes of preparation time run out, it is 5:15 PM. The battle begins and the golems are fiercely contested. After several fights, however, the golem is captured by my allies and marches towards the castle walls.
The plan works out
Our golem marches towards the wall and batters it with its heavy blows. The wall gives way. Now is our time, and our announcer roars in Discord to attack. Over 200 of our players break through the wall as my adrenaline rises and make their way to capture the important points within the castle.
Everyone knows the plans for what each group has to do by heart and we take the strategically important points of our strategy like dominoes on Domino Day. My group is responsible for defending the revival point. A crucial task because if the point falls, everyone has to start from outside the castle again.
The victor sits on this throne.
Tumbling order into chaos
While everything initially proceeds orderly, chaos grows with every passing minute. This is also the plan because we have convinced many smaller guilds to join the fight to put even more pressure on the defenders. The small guilds focus on the looting zones away from our position, but the castle is flooded with players and fighting occurs at every corner.
As chaos increases in the castle, the actual decisive battle takes place repeatedly right at the throne room. Different guilds fight there for supremacy and continually begin to seize the throne. At this point, we only focus on pushing forward, past the hundreds of players fighting in the castle.
We almost manage to capture the revival point near the throne room, which is vital for our strategy, and several times we push into the throne room itself. The battle rages until the last second, and it remains unclear until the end who will emerge victorious. But in the end, we didn’t make it. The defenders win and we have to concede defeat.
Joy despite the defeat
I actually expected my comrades to be sad about the defeat, instead, most of them had a smile on their faces. In the voice channel, I hear a lot of praise for the preparations they made, but above all, how incredibly cool this battle was.
Even a day later, players continue to reach out with praise for their own team and share how much fun the event was. Despite the defeat, everyone seems satisfied with our performance and, most importantly, with the epic battle itself.
Map of Castle Rockwatch in Throne and Liberty.
The conclusion on the castle siege
The seven weeks of preparation that led to this battle were worth it. Not because the battle itself shone with great effects, fair fights, and special graphics, but simply because it gave the players of the MMORPG a reason to play.
Everyone knew there would eventually be a battle that would decide the fate of the server, and that day had been the goal of the journey through Throne and Liberty for many since launch. Players are certainly not going to stop playing Throne and Liberty overnight, but this event gave the game a significance.
Instead of leveling their characters at a leisurely pace and defeating the same bosses without stress, the quasi-deadline of the castle siege was a driving force that propelled the players forward.
This whole event is a competition that was confined to this timeframe and has now taken place. The MMORPG feels like it is only just completed, and until new content arrives, it will also be in a calmer mode, without directly working towards a goal.
The preparation to empower our guild for the siege is complete, and participating again every two weeks feels almost like a mere formality. As so often, the journey was the destination, and the battle at the end was a worthy finale.
Such a goal is also fantastic for community cohesion. Everyone knows what they are working on, everyone knows what they are playing for, and that creates a sense of community that motivates in the long term.
This competition feels refreshing and new to me, especially because it has been so well known to the players from the beginning. Other MMORPGs should take a cue from this and offer their players an event that gives meaning to the journey and the progression of my character. Often, other MMORPGs feel like an endless routine, a hamster wheel with no goal.
Throne and Liberty, on the other hand, created a goal with the castle siege that makes the journey feel much more like a race. The siege, therefore, doesn’t feel like just another PvP event, but like the climax of the story that my community has been writing so far. If you want to participate in the next battle with your guild, take a look here: Throne and Liberty Castle Siege Guide: How to play as an attacker and defender in the fight for the throne
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
World of Warcraft Classic is restarting once again. If you want to join in, you should seize the opportunity now.
Do you want to play World of Warcraft Classic and experience the launch of a new realm before everything settles down? Then you now have the chance, as the fresh Anniversary Realms for World of Warcraft Classic will start tomorrow. This could be the last chance for a big Classic reset.
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WoW celebrates 20 years of the highlights of Azeroth
What are these realms? The “Anniversary Realms” are entirely new Classic realms that launch to celebrate the 20th anniversary of World of Warcraft. The realms are available in all regions, and there is also a “Hardcore” variant for those who want to tackle particularly tough challenges. The realms will go through all release phases of the major raids and PvP content.
When does it start? The kickoff for the new realms is on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 11:00 PM. From then on, you can visit the new Classic realms and dive back into the classic World of Warcraft.
Dual-Spec and new rules improve gameplay
Are there new rules in the realms? Yes! Blizzard has learned from the old Classic realms and is also taking some lessons from the Season of Discovery. Here are the following changes to the new Classic realms:
A free demo on Steam in October sparked the interest of many players. Now, nearly a month later, it is being released.
What game is this about? We are talking about Strinova, a new hero shooter with anime visuals. From a third-person perspective, you fight in 5v5 matches against other players, using your hero’s unique abilities to your advantage.
In the meantime, there is also a release date: Strinova will be released on November 22, 2024, on Steam, in the Epic Games Store, and for mobile devices. By the way, the game is Free2Play, so trying it out costs nothing.
You can watch the launch trailer for the first season here:
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Strinova: The Launch Trailer for the Anime Shooter on Steam
What makes Strinova so special? The shooter stands out not only because of its anime look but also due to a unique gameplay mechanic. It is called “Stringification” and offers many tactical possibilities when used correctly.
Each character has two forms that you can switch between at will: your regular 3D form and a 2D form. Your clever use can turn a combat situation in any direction.
If you use the 2D form near a wall, your character merges with it. However, you cannot shoot during this time.
In the 2D form, you are as thin as paper and can thus pass through tight spaces.
If you are in free fall, your character becomes a parachute and descends more slowly to the ground.
The 2D form allows you to dodge enemy bullets if you are at the right angle to them.
A software engineer has invested over a million euros to transform his home in Austin, Texas, into a LAN party paradise– including 22 gaming stations on different levels.
A LAN party (short for Local Area Network) used to be the highlight for gamers – especially in the 90s and early 2000s, when the internet was often slower than the Wi-Fi on the ICE train. One would haul their massive desktop PC and heavy CRT monitor to friends, connect everything together, and play all night long.
Kenton Varda (via x.com) has now taken it to a whole new level: No more hauling, no more cable mess. His “LAN Party House” is completely thought out – everything is set up, mid-range PCs are ready, and you can start instantly. It’s the modern version of the classic LAN party, just without the stress and back pain from carrying computers.
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He created a legendary game, but didn’t get paid for it – Today he’s still a millionaire
Who is the engineer behind this project? Kenton Varda, a senior software engineer at Cloudflare, has designed his home specifically for LAN parties. With over 30 years of experience in organizing such events, he has created a house that is suitable for both gaming and family life.
Together with his wife Jade Wang (via x.com), he was able to realize his dream. The chief architect of the project was Kenton’s father, Richard. Richard Varda (via x.com) is an experienced architect who claims to have designed everything from houses to skyscrapers.
71,000 euros just for the PCs
What does the house look like? The house has a basement with 12 integrated gaming stations in the walls, which can be folded away when not in use. The upper floor features an office with a conference table that hides six additional gaming stations. When needed, the screens can be easily unfolded.
Furthermore, there are two private rooms for uninterrupted meetings or analog games, as well as four recessed “Dance Dance Revolution pads” from Konami. In “Dance Dance Revolution,” the player stands on a dance mat with various pads and must step on the corresponding arrows at the right moment. On the LAN Party House website, you can explore everything in detail.
What technology is behind it? Each of the 22 gaming stations is equipped with
Intel Core i5-13600
a GeForce RTX 4070
32 GB RAM
In total, the equipment for the PCs is said to have cost around 71,000 euros.
The PCs are centrally housed in an “engine room” that provides optimal cooling. All computers boot from a common disk image, which makes maintenance easier. A disk image is a digital copy of a computer that allows multiple PCs to be set up quickly and identically.
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Can you play there yourself or rent it out? Kenton Varda built the house with a clear goal: It should be a place for private LAN parties with his close friends. On the official website, he makes it clear that he does not accept inquiries for visits or rentals. And that’s exactly why there are no plans to commercialize the concept.
If you prefer playing on the Playstation instead of using a mouse and keyboard, you should weigh your options before purchasing the new PS5 Pro. Some models of the PS5 Pro have sparked discussions: users report higher heat and noise. You can read about what’s behind it here: Some models of the PS5 Pro are hotter and louder than others – Here’s the story behind it
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
That the Spiritborn is the strongest class in Season 6 of Diablo 4 is nothing new. With a build, however, players achieve damage numbers that are so high they are hardly readable.
This is the state of the Spiritborn:
The Spiritborn is the new class that came with the expansion Vessel of Hatred. Right at release, the class climbed to the top of the best endgame builds in Season 6 of Diablo 4.
Blizzard recently stated in a livestream that no changes will be made to the class for the midseason update – but in Season 7. They advise: Enjoy what you have now.
A player is now showcasing the damage numbers he inflicts with his Spiritborn on Reddit. He asks what that number displayed on the screen is even called. The community is discussing the topic – some believe that something like this needs an immediate nerf. Others do not see it that way.
What kind of build is this? The build that the player shows on Reddit appears to be a Puncture Salvo build of the Spiritborn. This is currently the strongest build in the game. With the build, you utilize the power of the eagle spirit and throw feathers around you that explode and blow up individual enemies or decimate groups.
In the screenshot on Reddit, you can see the damage number he inflicts: It amounts to “2,632,926T”, which in German is 2.6 trillion – or written out: 2,632,926,000,000,000. The user writes: “A 2,632,927T hit. […] The Spiritborn is simply completely over the top broken, lol.”
A possible build of the Spiritborn can be seen here in gameplay:
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Diablo 4: This is what a Jaguar-Eagle build from the Spirit Born in Vessel of Hatred looks like
Damage in Trillions – “Completely Ordinary Things”
What do other players say about this? In the comments, users discuss the absurdly high number. Some point out that there should be a “Stat Squish” – meaning overall smaller numbers. For example, the armor cap was reduced from 9,230 to 1,000.
Generally, all values should be smaller and more understandable. texxelate jokes in the comment: “Smaller numbers that people can easily understand. Trillions, for example – completely ordinary things.” And RimaSuit2 notes that there was a “Stat Squish”, “but for some reason the numbers are higher than ever before.” Coredict replies that this only applies to the Spiritborn.
Others are discussing a necessary nerf of the Spiritborn – or rather fixes for bugs that allow such builds and numbers to exist at all. Nippys4 writes in the comment of the Reddit post: “I can’t believe that people are actually in the ‘Just leave it broken, no changes midseason’ faction when a damn standard calculator can’t even display that number.”
ThunderboltDragon, however, says: “Imagine you’ve been playing a lot since the beginning of the season, completed gear and crafting, and then the entire build gets nerfed. Everything you’ve worked for is gone […]. That would feel bad for the players.”
With the midseason patch, Blizzard buffed all “old classes” in Diablo 4 on November 19, 2024. The aim is to strengthen them as they are currently lagging far behind the overpowered Spiritborn. In addition to the classes, the runes and mercenaries are also getting a buff. Blizzard is also revising shrines and loot in Legion events. We have summarized the highlights from the update for you here: Diablo 4: Midseason Update 2.0.5 today brings strong buffs for all classes – Patch Notes
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
