As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. In a time where you struggle to hear the word “free” commercially, Microsoft’s Games with Gold being a part of their Xbox Live Gold service served as a light in the dark for players interested in trying their hand at something different without a financial commitment. Alas, the time for that light to shift colors and go dim has finally come.

On July 17, Microsoft announced that they will be introducing Xbox Game Pass Core as a replacement for Xbox Live Gold. Along with the 18 year old service, Microsoft said that they will be discontinuing the Games With Gold feature starting September 1, which means that the constant influx of free games that Xbox Live Gold members had access to will be coming to a halt.

Recently I’ve been skimming over many of the various game makers and ‘maker’ video games I’ve tried out over the years, looking back into titles from the classic Super Mario Maker games to the more refined RPG Maker and Pixel Game maker studios. However, in doing so, I’ve stumbled across a thought I’m sure many other Pokemaniacs have encountered at some point in time — between all of the Rom Hacks and game maker mods, why doesn’t the Pokemon Company invest in the creation of a ‘Pokemon Maker’ video game, letting us all bring custom Pokemon adventures to life?

First, I’ll start by answering the obvious red flags you’re all undoubtedly waving in my face. Don’t worry; I’m no Tauros. I won’t get mad at this gesture. I’m well aware that the simple answer to this question is that a concept such as this will likely never happen due to the sheer scale of the proposed project and how time-consuming and tedious it would be to complete.

As the generations of gaming systems continue to evolve and improve, the eyes of players continue to scrutinize and analyze the games that accompany them. While the graphical bar in the gaming industry continues to increase, there still remain to be a few aspects of gaming graphics that are the first to be picked out. Graphics are constantly improving to the point where some of the items on this list are certainly nitpicks, but there is always more to be desired when thinking in retrospect. Here are 10 things that video game graphics need to improve to reach the next level.

Smooth Out the Characters’ Hair

When it comes down to the things that video game graphics consistently miss the mark on, it’s a character’s hair. That’s not to say that hair always looks bad, but it can be that one aspect of a scene that pulls the player’s focus away from the story. During cutscenes, the hair is often a part of a full computer generated model, and it’s being placed into a scene under natural and controlled circumstances, but during gameplay is where you can more easily see the visuals break down.

As we head toward the end of July, it is time to consider what next month offers. That’s right; we’re talking about the PlayStation Plus Essential games! We have a decent idea of what might be available next month, and we’d love to share our thoughts and predictions with you. We will find out together around July 27 because PlayStation usually reveals the PS Plus games on the last Thursday of the month.

Shadow Warrior 3

This third adventure of Lo Wang takes players on yet another adventure where he has to save the world with crude jokes, a katana, and tons of bullets. While it ditches the looter shooter aspects from Shadow Warrior 2, there is still no lack of weaponry to try out in defeating the hordes of enemies in style. If you’re worried about neglecting your backlog, sources say the game’s story only takes five to seven hours to beat.

Those who have tuned into the first few episodes of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead were likely blown away by its quality, but also by the fact that its namesake monster isn’t the main source of dread for its characters.

Despite the snarling, oozing undead creatures seen shambling around the post-apocalyptic world, another force hangs heavy over the head of the show’s protagonists. It’s an insidious thing, and it slowly but surely latched onto him and refused to let go for years on end as his life slowly drained away along with any joy or happiness he once felt. In many ways, it made him no better than the reanimated husks that are currently tearing his world apart.

Like a deep sea diver plunging into the depths to seek a sparkling piece of treasure, we thought that a monthly column dedicated to those overlooked or underappreciated gems that may’ve passed you by would be handy. Yes, as the tide of July sweeps over us, and as August fast approaches, we’ve whittled down the releases of the month into a handful of recommendations. These are titles that we’re either really excited about, or have played ourselves and, as a result, want to sing its praises. So, for your reading pleasure, here are seven fun video games you should try this month. Let’s begin dive in, shall we?

Dave the Diver

• Platforms: PC
• Release Date: Out Now

Here’s Dave the Diver in a nutshell: scuba-dive around a procedurally-generated ocean, catch some fish, swim back up to the surface, head to your sushi restaurant and prepare that delicious sashimi for your hungry patrons in exchange for lots and lots of moolah. And, Bob’s your uncle — you’re now a devotee of one of gaming’s biggest mashups since 2015’s acclaimed Rocket League.

With Season of the Malignant on the horizon, Blizzard has rolled out a new patch for Diablo 4, bringing with it some pretty significant gameplay changes. There a few class balances, new Unique items and Legendary Aspects, and some season rollover progress that you’re gonna wanna know about before Season of the Malignant starts, so let’s get into it.

All Classes Get Nerfed

Really, there aren’t any winners in this latest Diablo 4 patch. In fact, all the classes have taken a hit in some way or another, but we’d be remiss not to give a special shoutout to the Sorcerer, who’s certainly been hit the hardest.

Booting up the pre-release version of EA Sports FC 24, I was strangely excited and curious to find out what was waiting. I’ve played every FIFA since about 2010 so, despite being more taken with some and less with others, there’s always been a degree of certainty about what you’re going to get from a new one. Sure, there’ll be upgrades and tweaks, but seasoned players know what to expect. With EA FC 24, there was little of that.

I was immediately reassured by the menus (bear with me). The FC 24 logo comes up first, clean and minimalist. The more I’ve thought about this branding and name change, the more I’ve liked it. Especially as the largest portion of the player base (myself too) spends most of their time with Ultimate Team, recent FIFA iterations have felt more and more like building your own football club. What better name than FC, then?

Fortnite and Overwatch 2 are two of the most significant free-to-play multiplayer games across various platforms, with many fans of the titles holding out hopes for a collaboration or crossover event between the two. While the lack of such an event remains a sad tale for the hopeful, there are more similarities between the games than one may anticipate, especially between a handful of characters from each title, with their designs striking an uncanny resemblance.

Undoubtedly, this will happen occasionally in the video games industry – that’s the joys of character design, especially in live service games that release such frequent cosmetics. However, there are a few matchups where these two characters could appear to be related! Without further ado, here are 10 Fortnite skins we spotted with a strong visual similarity to Overwatch 2 characters.

The Nintendo Switch is the perfect console for all sorts of multiplayer shenanigans, whether you’re enjoying local or online co-op and competitive play. Here’s our take on the best multiplayer Switch games of all time.

Mario Party Superstars

Not to be confused with Super Mario Party, Mario Party Superstars is a remastered collection of the best and most iconic maps from the original Mario Party games. And yeah, they still hold up incredibly well. Maps include Peach’s Birthday Cake and Horror Land, and the mini-games are still fun and challenging in the best possible ways.

One of the highest-selling video game systems of all time, the Nintendo Wii revolutionized motion-controlled gaming for a mainstream audience. It was also home to some generation-defining titles that still stand tall among the greatest in Nintendo’s storied history.

Between all of these comes titles that are still massively hard to find. If you’re a stickler for an authentic experience and want the original versions of some of these games, you’re gonna have to shell out quite a bit of money to get them. Here are 12 of the rarest and most valuable Wii games that’ll cost you a pretty penny to get.

Nintendo’s first jump into the world of 3D gaming, the Nintendo 64 had its share of issues in the transition. Nevertheless, it was home to some of the most revolutionary games of all time, like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which changed the way we think about gaming.

What it also has is a fine share of some extremely rare and expensive titles. Even more so than the rarest games on other Nintendo platforms, acquiring copies of these games in any capacity — new or used — will take a massive amount of funds out of your wallet. Here are 12 of the rarest and most expensive Nintendo 64 games that will set you back a few bucks to get.

It may be hard to believe, but 2023 will mark 25 years since the Pokemon anime first premiered in the west. That’s a quarter century of battles, exploration, and boneheaded decisions by Ash Ketchum.

To commemorate this momentous landmark, we’re taking a look back by rewatching the earliest days of Pallet Town and beyond. Join us on this most marvellous trip down memory lane, and remember to stock up on Super Potions for the journey ahead!

Nintendo, and series creator Masahiro Sakurai from HAL Laboratory, would never have thought that the fun, zany, and wild party fighting game Smash Brothers would become one of the greatest and most competitive fighting game franchises in video game history. All of the characters in the game have thematic moves and are a blast to play. But the characters that really stand out are the ones with the most historic ties to Nintendo and the video game industry. With so many to choose from, and with so much history, you might be wondering who are the top 15 best characters in Super Smash Bros.? Read on to find out!

Pac Man

Namco’s Pac Man is as original and classic as you can get when it comes to arcade and video game history, so it’s a nice surprise to see his character performing so well in Super Smash. The 2D ghost-eating champion made his jump into polygon form with Pac-Man World for PlayStation but hasn’t made as much of an impact in modern gaming as he’s capable of.

When playing Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, you’ll notice many differences and similarities from its hit predecessor, the Danganronpa series. While some elements are reminiscent of its past features, others exhibit brand-new concepts that make the game stand on its own.

To commemorate both titles, we’ll look at the differences and similarities between the Danganronpa franchise and Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, showcasing classic tropes and the famous murder trials.

The Nintendo Switch has established itself as a beloved gaming platform over the past six years, offering a diverse library of games with unique gameplay experiences. While many of these titles provide hours of entertainment right out of the box, there are several games that leave players longing for more. They have the potential to be elevated to new heights through the addition of DLC. This would offer expanded content, fresh challenges, and enhanced replay value. Here are 10 games just begging for DLC to further immerse players in their worlds and keep the adventure going.

Mario Party Superstars

Mario Party Superstars, released in 2021, offers a collection of classic Mario Party boards and minigames from previous entries in the series. This provides players with a nostalgic experience with updated graphics and gameplay.

The original Xbox was punching well above its weight class back in the day. Sure, it didn’t sell nearly as many consoles as Sony did with the PS2, but Microsoft created one helluva foundation for the future, especially with its online gaming with Xbox Live. It started a legacy that many think back on with nothing but love, so let’s take a trip down memory lane and check out some of the best original Xbox games, shall we?

10. Halo 1 & Halo 2

If there’s one game that’s synonymous with the original Xbox, it’s Halo, and for good reason. For starters, Halo: Combat Evolved launched alongside the console. Secondly, it revolutionized first-person shooters in such a way, you can still see its influence on franchises like Call of Duty.

Right, I’ll make no bones about it: the PS3 is my favorite Sony system of all-time. Why? Because, personally, I believe it remains the golden age of the Japanese company’s most creative and inventive era to date. The embryonic beginnings of downloadable games was beginning to take shape with the advent of PSN, an industry in flux was on the cusp of its big shift to online gaming, and once the cutting-edge tech of the cell architecture finally started hitting its stride, we were blessed with some bonafide classics in the form of Heavy Rain, Uncharted 2, The Last of Us, and many more.

During the PS3’s tenure, plenty of huge games launched, but the interesting thing is, many of the system’s rarer titles are largely not amazing games. Sure, there are one or two exceptions to that rule (I’m looking at you Ni No Kuni!), but many of the more desirable and valuable games in the PS3’s library are usually rare for a reason.

Announced back in May of this year, Enshrouded is the latest title from Keen Games, the team behind 2017’s Portal Knights. Currently scheduled to launch into Early Access later this year, the highly anticipated third-person action-RPG is shaping up to be a promising fantasy adventure. Luckily, we had an opportunity to sit down virtually with the game’s Creative Director, Antony Christoulakis, who showcased a chunk of hands-off gameplay with some additional commentary as well.

While Enshrouded shares a lot in common with the aforementioned Portal Knights — it’s another co-op survival RPG, after all — it appears to be a departure from the cutesy, cartoonish aesthetic found in its predecessor. Instead, it features a more realistic art-style and is set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world that has been plagued by a mysterious fog.

Overwatch 2 has a wide variety of different Hero skin cosmetics to collect, with every character having their own set of various themes and outfits to unlock or purchase as you play the game. However, some of these hero skins have only been available for a limited time or have since skyrocketed in value, making them some of the most exclusive items in Overwatch 2 that players would do anything to get their hands on.

In no particular order, we’ve rounded up 10 of the rarest skins in Overwatch 2, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any hidden gems you may have stored in your Hero Gallery.