This morning’s Nintendo Direct Mini presentation saw the announcement of a ton of great third-party releases coming to the Nintendo Switch. Titles includingOri and the Will of the Wisps,Monster Hunter Rise, and others will help flesh out Nintendo’s Switch release schedule in 2020 and 2021. One of those big announcements came as an exciting surprise. It’sRune Factory 5, the latest RPG/life-sim from developer Hakama. It’s hard to believe that its been 8 years since the release ofRune Factory 4on the Nintendo 3DS....

FromSoftware games have a tradition of including sidequests with tragic endings.Sekiro: Shadows Die Twiceis no different and one of the most enigmatic involves wandering samurai Jinzaemon Kumano. Jinzaemon appears in a number of locations across Ashina territory, sitting just ahead of mini-bosses guarding major pathways. While that might suggest that Jinzaemon is actually a villain, he’s actually one of the most earnest characters inSekiro: Shadows Die Twice. RELATED:What to Expect from FromSoftware in 2023...

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsstar Simu Liu is living it up. The former stock photo model has come a long way, now starring in what is currently the biggest movie in the world. However, that doesn’t mean he’s unlike many gamers who enjoy playing someHalo, as the star calls his Xbox controller one of his essential gadgets. As part of his ongoing press tour topromoteShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Liu sat down with GQ for one of their “10 Things You Can’t Live Without” clips to discuss exactly what items he uses the most on a day-to-day basis....

Super Mario Galaxyspeedrunner Jhay has achieved almost everything he can in his discipline. Hard work and community support have allowed the 21-year-old man from Wales to grab six out of nine world records in bothSuper Mario GalaxyandSuper Mario Galaxy 2. As the speedrunner continues his domination in the two games, he also has strong views about how the community could become even better. The sport has grown immensely from its humble beginning, thanks to innovations like Twitch and important events like thecharity event Games Done Quick....

TheStar Trekfranchise is famous for its captains, but now it’s time to shine some light on the second-in-command, a role that appears in almost everyStar Trekseries. Also known as Number One or the XO, this character inStar Trekdoesn’t always get as much attention as the captain or other certain characters, but they’re often just as important. Some of the most interesting and endearing characters had the role or authority of a second-in-command, even if they didn’t officially carry the title....

Starfieldlets players explore a universe full of planetary systems and characters. Gamers primarily use their customizable ship to travel from one star system to another. Occasionally fans may bump into other friendly ships while flying around. Players looking to take up a pirate’s life and steal from these ships are more than welcome to. Destroying or boarding enemy ships comes with rewards like valuable cargo and even the spaceships themselves. Taking part in crimes will notsit well with the main Constellation Companionsso send them away while committing these actions....

When it comes to video game mascots, few are as iconic or as beloved as Mario. The Italian plumber celebrated his 35th birthday last year, although despite his advancing years, he doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of slowing down just yet. In fact, ifSuper Mario Odysseyis anything to go by, he may still just be warming up. Each newMariogame seems to be more fast-paced than the ones that preceded it, which has helped to make them firm favorites among members of the speedrunning community....

Third-person shooterThe Division 2continues to receive semi-frequent updates, many of them game-changing, with the recently detailed Update 12 being no exception. Besides a slew of new weapons, global events, and cosmetic options, arguably the most exciting addition toThe Division 2is the inclusion of a new stat-altering optimization station designed to bring the best out of any gun. As loot is an integral part ofThe Division 2experience, randomly generated stat modifiers can produce surprisingly effective stats in unexpected guns as easily as it can generate lackluster stats in a weapon....

The Sims 4provides gamers with thousands of gameplay possibilities, as it is one of the most advanced life simulators out there. Players can control their Sims however they would like, but they also have some free will so that they continue their day-to-day lives even when the player isn’t paying attention to them in particular. Autonomy isn’t always a good thing when it comes toThe Sims, as Sims oftentimes cancel actions that the player queued up or they might even put themselves in dangerous situations with lethal consequences....

Summary Nintendo has been tight-lipped about the follow-up to the massively successfulSwitchhybrid console, but its existence is all but confirmed. A combination of rumors, leaks, and arecent patent filed by Nintendohave convinced many that a direct successor to the Switch is in development, possibly launching as early as next year. The Switch is one of the best-selling consoles of all time, and Nintendo’s second-best-selling device, edged out only by the Nintendo DS....

The Trump Administration announced today that it is currently seeking to investigate companies connected to Tencent.Tencent is a Chinese tech conglomeratethat owns shares in various American companies including Epic Games and Riot Games; both are games software developers popularized by hits likeFortniteandLeague of Legends, respectively. These investigations come after sanctions against Tencent regarding its multi-purpose messaging app, WeChat, specifically regarding the approach in collecting data from its users. CFIUS, or the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, has confirmed that they have inquired with Riot Games andEpic Gamesto ask the studios about the various procedures the companies have in place in terms of how the companies handle the personal data of American consumers....

While the modern iterations of Epic Games’Unreal Enginemay not be quite as pervasive and ever-present as Unreal Engine 3 was back in the 2000s, this game development suite remains one of the most popular choices for developers from all over the world. In fact, its next version, Unreal Engine 5, may be getting an exciting new showcase early in April.Epic Games has just announced its major newUnreal Engineevent that’s going to be open for anyone to tune in and watch....

The indie multiplayer exploration, survival, and crafting game from Swedish developer Iron Gate Studio,Valheim, has maintained a steady number of concurrent players ever since its initial release in February 2021. Following an announcement at the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda extended showcase that the game will be coming to Xbox viaXbox Game Pass, it’s likely that those numbers will steadily increase as new consoles are ushered in. Valheimallows players to craft objects, explore vast lands, and battle foes, similar to the premise of Mojang’sMinecraft- though it still retains its own highly distinctive qualities....