Game Infliction, Author at Game Infliction

Tower Defense Simulator Frost Invasion Update Rolls Out New Battle Pass and Sandbox Mode

Tower Defense Simulator is sending in a wave of winter presents for Roblox players with its gargantuan 1.46.0 patch a.k.a. the Frost Invasion update, including the new Outpost 32 map, two new event towers, a new battle pass, and so much more.

Developer Paradoxum Games has spent the last week teasing a massive update, and patch notes for today’s update suggest Frost Invasion may have been worth the hype. There are plenty of rewards for both free and premium players in the event’s chilly battle pass, with some highlights for the latter including a Double Chunk Chocolate Cookie emote, the Dark Frost Electroshocker, and a Frost Legion Mercenary Base. Tower Defense Simulator update 1.46.0 also comes with the long-awaited Sandbox Mode for those looking to experiment as well as an Enemy Index, which can be used to keep track of and learn more about your foes.

Frost Invasion itself injects some story background into the world of Tower Defense Simulator. A description from Paradoxum explains that the event takes place in the research facility known as Outpost 32 and involves the genius Professor V.

“However, during a routine test on the portal, a catastrophic malfunction occurred—tearing a rift to the Frost Dimension,” the description says. “Now, waves of Frost Invaders are pouring through, threatening to obliterate the facility and its vital research.”

To help fight back against the Frost Spirit and his army, Tower Defense Simulator players have been granted access to two new event towers: the Elementalist Tower and the Snowballer Tower. The former can be unlocked by beating Frost Invasion on hard mode, while beating easy mode is all that’s required to unlock the latter.

Paradoxum has given players the gift of more content this holiday season, and it’s a gift that should keep everyone preoccupied for the near future. Whether you’re looking to save the world from the Frost Spirit as a newcomer or veteran tower defender, you can click here to see our full list of all active Tower Defense Simulator codes. Finally, you can see the patch notes for the Frost Invasion update below.

Tower Defense Simulator Frost Invasion Update Patch Notes

FROST INVASION IS LIVE!

In the wake of the Hexscape incident, our brightest mind, Professor V, has been leading classified research into the enigmatic science of cross-world travel. Outpost 32, our most advanced facility, has been repurposed for these critical experiments.

However, during a routine test on the portal, a catastrophic malfunction occurred—tearing a rift to the Frost Dimension. Now, waves of Frost Invaders are pouring through, threatening to obliterate the facility and its vital research.

The Frost Spirit and his army are invading! Protect Outpost 32 and its critical research—failure is not an option.

· Frost Spirit Boss

· Outpost 32 Map

NEW EVENT TOWERS!

Elementalist Tower (Hard Mode)

Snowballer Tower (Easy Mode)

FROST INVASION BATTLE PASS

Prepare for a frosty adventure with the Frost Invasion Battle Pass! Two tracks are available: Free and Premium (500 Robux). Unlock limited-time skins, emotes, name tags, and exclusive items as you progress!

Free Rewards Include:

· Chilly Sticker

· Frost Legion Sniper

· Dark Frost Soldier

· Frost Legion Freezer

· Cozy Camp Farm

· Snowman Emote

· Dark Frost Trapper

· Nut Cracker Minigunner

· Santa Commander

· Frost Commander Charm

· Rudolph Brawler

Premium Rewards Include:

· Jolly Tree Emote

· Goofy Sledger Sticker

· Snowballer Charm

· Double Chunk Chocolate Cookie Emote

· Dark Frost Crook Boss

· Elementalist Charm

· Dark Frost Warden

· Elf Present Sticker

· Dark Frost Mortar

· Frost Spirit Charm

· Caroling Emote

· Frost Spirit Sticker

· Dark Frost Electroshocker

· Cultist Ramiel Charm

· Dark Frost Engineer

· Krampus Sticker

· Snowball Emote

· Frost Legion Mercenary Base

HOLIDAY CONSUMABLE CRATE

Spread the holiday cheer with the Holiday Consumable Crate! Unbox 5 random holiday-themed items for just 32 Robux, or earn crates by participating in the Frost Invasion event.

· Festive Tree

· Fruit Cake

· Santa’s Air Strike

· Present Cluster Bomb

· MOLTEN MONSTER

SANDBOX MODE

Sandbox Mode is finally here! Available to players Level 250+, this mode lets you experiment with unlocked enemies, maps, towers, and items however you like. Push the boundaries of creativity and strategy!

Want even more control? Grab the Admin Commands Gamepass to take Sandbox Mode to the next level with exclusive features!

Features:

Sandbox Mode: Full freedom to test and experiment.
Quick Place QoL Update: Improved speed and efficiency for your builds.

ADMIN COMMANDS GAMEPASS

Unlock the ultimate power and take Sandbox Mode to its limits! Enjoy 20% off for the Holidays, knocking the price down from 8,000 Robux to 6,400 Robux!!

· Instant access to Sandbox Mode (no level requirement).

· Assign up to 3 admins to join your party.

· Mega servers: Play with up to 5 or 6 players.

· Spawn any enemies, including legacy enemies.

· Legacy gamemodes: Relive iconic T.D.S. challenges.

· Full game rule control: Edit and customize everything.

· Unlimited towers: Build without restrictions.

· Spam consumables for maximum chaos.

· And much more!

ENEMY INDEX

The Enemy Index has arrived in T.D.S.! Track your conquests and complete your Log Book by defeating enemies. Each enemy has a random chance to drop their entry log upon death, unlocking their story and secrets.

Discover Lore: More enemy lore entries will be added in 2026 for deeper insights into their origins.

Sandbox Mode: Unlocking an entry allows you to spawn that enemy in Sandbox Mode for testing and strategizing.

Frost Mortar finally gets added to the frost crate

Game Changes:

Small Changes

Fixed various rare situational issues wich replication
Freeze tick damage properly scaled with time
Grenadier properly plays audio and muzzle flash on fire

Elementalist

Unlocked by completing Frost Invasion on Hard mode
Comes with the ability to toggle frost or fire mode changing what active ability or debuff is available.
Tower Limit of 5
Level 0 Cost: 2000
Level 1 Cost: 1500
Level 2 Cost: 4000
Level 3 Cost: 8000
Level 4 Cost: 15000
Level 0 Damage: 3
Level 1 Damage: 5
Level 2 Damage: 10
Level 3 Damage: 12
Level 4 Damage: 15
Level 0 Range: 12
Level 1 Range: 15
Level 2 Range: 17
Level 3 Range: 17
Level 4 Range: 17
Level 0 Cooldown: 0.6
Level 1 Cooldown: 0.6
Level 2 Cooldown: 0.6
Level 3 Cooldown: 0.5
Level 4 Cooldown: 0.4
Level 0 Burst Size: 3
Level 1 Burst Size: 4
Level 2 Burst Size: 4
Level 3 Burst Size: 5
Level 4 Burst Size: 7
Level 0 Burst Cooldown: 0.2
Level 1 Burst Cooldown: 0.2
Level 2 Burst Cooldown: 0.2
Level 3 Burst Cooldown: 0.2
Level 4 Burst Cooldown: 0.125
Level 0 Frost Mode Debuff Duration: 2 Seconds
Level 1 Frost Mode Debuff Duration: 2 Seconds
Level 2 Frost Mode Debuff Duration: 2 Seconds
Level 3 Frost Mode Debuff Duration: 2 Seconds
Level 4 Frost Mode Debuff Duration: 2 Seconds
Level 0 Frost Mode Slow Percent on Hit: 5%
Level 1 Frost Mode Slow Percent on Hit: 7.5%
Level 2 Frost Mode Slow Percent on Hit: 7.5%
Level 3 Frost Mode Slow Percent on Hit: 10%
Level 4 Frost Mode Slow Percent on Hit: 12.5%
Level 0 Frost Mode Max Slow Percentage: 45%
Level 1 Frost Mode Max Slow Percentage: 45%
Level 2 Frost Mode Max Slow Percentage: 50%
Level 3 Frost Mode Max Slow Percentage: 50%
Level 4 Frost Mode Max Slow Percentage: 60%
Level 0 Fire Mode Debuff Duration: 2 Seconds
Level 1 Fire Mode Debuff Duration: 3 Seconds
Level 2 Fire Mode Debuff Duration: 4 Seconds
Level 3 Fire Mode Debuff Duration: 2 Seconds
Level 4 Fire Mode Debuff Duration: 4 Seconds
Level 0 Fire Mode Burn Damage: 5
Level 1 Fire Mode Burn Damage: 8
Level 2 Fire Mode Burn Damage: 8
Level 3 Fire Mode Burn Damage: 10
Level 4 Fire Mode Burn Damage: 10
Level 0 Fire Mode Burn Tick Rate: 0.5 Seconds
Level 1 Fire Mode Burn Tick Rate: 0.5 Seconds
Level 2 Fire Mode Burn Tick Rate: 0.5 Seconds
Level 3 Fire Mode Burn Tick Rate: 0.25 Seconds
Level 4 Fire Mode Burn Tick Rate: 0.25 Seconds
Level 2 Unlocks Ice Turret or Heatwave active ability depending on what mode Elementalist is in.
Level 2 Ice Turret Damage: 10
Level 3 Ice Turret Damage: 20
Level 4 Ice Turret Damage: 30
Level 2 Ice Turret Cooldown: 0.45
Level 3 Ice Turret Cooldown: 0.35
Level 4 Ice Turret Cooldown: 0.3
Ice Turret Lifespan: 40 Seconds
Ice Turret Can Freeze on Max Slow
Ice Turret Range: 10
Level 2 Ice Turret Slow Percent on Hit: 25%
Level 3 Ice Turret Slow Percent on Hit: 25%6
Level 4 Ice Turret Slow Percent on Hit: 30%
Level 2 Ice Turret Max Slow Percentage: 50%
Level 3 Ice Turret Max Slow Percentage: 50%
Level 4 Ice Turret Max Slow Percentage: 60%
Level 2 Heatwave Damage: 150
Level 3 Heatwave Damage: 250
Level 4 Heatwave Damage: 400
Level 2 Heatwave Range: 125
Level 3 Heatwave Range: 13.5
Level 4 Heatwave Range: 15
Level 2 Heatwave Knockback: 20
Level 3 Heatwave Knockback: 22.5
Level 4 Heatwave Knockback: 25
Level 2 Heatwave Burn Damage: 10
Level 3 Heatwave Burn Damage: 15
Level 4 Heatwave Burn Damage: 20
Level 2 Heatwave Burn Duration: 5
Level 3 Heatwave Burn Duration: 5
Level 4 Heatwave Burn Duration: 5
Heatwave Burn Tick Rate: 0.5 Seconds

Snowballer

Unlocked by completing Frost Invasion on Easy mode
Level 0 Cost: 300
Level 1 Cost: 150
Level 2 Cost: 650
Level 3 Cost: 2500
Level 0 Damage: 4
Level 1 Damage: 4
Level 2 Damage: 8
Level 3 Damage: 15
Level 0 Range: 12
Level 1 Range: 12
Level 2 Range: 14
Level 3 Range: 18
Level 0 Cooldown: 3
Level 1 Cooldown: 2.5
Level 2 Cooldown: 2.5
Level 3 Cooldown: 2
Level 0 Slow Percentage on Hit: 15%
Level 1 Slow Percentage on Hit: 20%
Level 2 Slow Percentage on Hit: 30%
Level 3 Slow Percentage on Hit: 30%
Level 0 Max Slow: 30%
Level 1 Max Slow: 40%
Level 2 Max Slow: 60%
Level 3 Max Slow: 60%
Level 3 Can Freeze
Level 3 Freeze Time: 2 Seconds
Level 3 Explosion Radius: 4

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

‘Tetris Forever’ Adds Curious Sequel ‘Welltris’ Via A Free Update

Plus a couple of welcome improvements.

Digital Eclipse has announced that the curious Tetris sequel Welltris will be added to the excellent compilation title Tetris Forever via a free update on Switch.

The game, originally release in 1989, takes the same basic gameplay of Tetris, but adds in an extra dimension, essentially turning the gameplay area into a ‘well’. It’s weird stuff, and it’s no surprise that it didn’t quite reach the same cultural heights as its predecessor, but it’s an excellent new addition to the game nevertheless. Digital Eclipse also promises to add more games in the future, so keep your eyes peeled.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

How to Ensure a Fun, Safe and Welcoming Gaming Experience for Your Kids on Xbox This Holiday Season

The post How to Ensure a Fun, Safe and Welcoming Gaming Experience for Your Kids on Xbox This Holiday Season appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Share of the Week: Astro Bot – Winter Wonder

Last week, we asked you get in the holiday spirit with the newly released Winter Wonter level of Astro Bot, and share moments exploring using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

VrPhotoGamess shares Astro surrounded by jingle bells in the Festive Fellow outfit.

MdeavorVP shares Astro in the Festive Fellow outfit gliding down a rail

CaGamer_07 shares Astro in the Festive Fellow outfit next to a snowman in an igloo

Pfannkuchenns shares Astro posing in a photo spot while reindeer and a present-filled sleigh fly by

doodlecep shares Astro in the Festive Fellow costume jumping beside a decorated tree

MBaw96 shares the animal bots gathered underneath festive Astro fireworks

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Share of the Year
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on December 31, 2024

Next time, we’re looking back at an amazing year of gaming. Share your favorite moment captured in a game you played in 2024 using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured in Share of the Year.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – Everything You Need to Know | IGN First

We’re only weeks away from the February 4 release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and you may still find yourself a bit lost as to what all the fuss is about. All month long, we’ve been covering different aspects of this medieval action RPG in detail as part of IGN First. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. This digital treatise is here to cover all the basics, and tell you where you can go next to find out more about any given topic.

What is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2?

To put it as simply as possible, it’s a first-person, open-world action RPG based on real medieval history, and the very direct sequel to 2018’s Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which I gave an 8/10. You play as Henry, a young villager who lost his home and his parents to the ravages of war. While exploring the open countryside, you’ll use stealth, persuasion, and swordplay to overcome your enemies and complete diverse side quests that generally have multiple endings.

The real highlight for me is the combat system, which is based on real European martial arts and looks to evolve and streamline the mechanics of the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance. It’s highly technical and skill-centric, but it doesn’t require amazing twitch reflexes. Attacking from one of four cardinal directions, timing parries and counters, and a combo system similar to fighting games that rely on a specific sequence of directional inputs, are at the heart of it.

KCD2 is making an effort to help new players get up to snuff.

It may sound intimidating, but KCD2 is making an effort to help new players get up to snuff. You can check out our developer-aided survival tips, or an explanation of how combat has evolved from the first game.

What is the setting of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2?

The year is 1403, right in the middle of what are often called the Late Middle Ages. The venue is central Bohemia, in the vicinity of Prague, and what is today the heart of the modern Czech Republic. It’s been about 50 years since the Black Plague – recent enough that there are still people alive who remember it – and 50 years before the fall of Constantinople. Europe, including Bohemia, is watching one age coming to a close and a new one just starting to take shape.

While KCD presents a fictional and dramatized version of history – many of its characters are based on historical ones, but their actions and personalities have been tweaked and embellished – it doesn’t contain any outright fantasy elements. No trolls, dragons, or magic – although the people living at the time certainly believed in them. You can do alchemy, which is the one place where this series feels the most like a fantasy RPG. I’m not aware of any herbs or nectars that can make you better at sword fighting. But even these require you to pick real plants and cook them up using period-accurate technology.

No trolls, dragons, or magic – although the people living at the time certainly believed in them.

To be more specific, KCD2 picks up almost immediately where the first game left off. Which brings us to our next question…

Do I need to play the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance before I play the sequel?

In my opinion, not really. It’s kind of a soft reset in terms of your character progression, and it will introduce you to all of its systems as if you’ve never touched them before. The extended intro sequence even catches you up to speed on the events of the first game, which aren’t overly intricate. If you want to see for yourself and decide if you need more context, you can watch our first 43 minutes of gameplay.

I certainly wouldn’t discourage you from playing the first one, though. I replayed it earlier this year and found that it holds up really well. Some of the technical issues that were present during my original review have even been fixed.

Who are the major characters in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2?

Well, well, well… we happened to put together a whole article about the major characters. But to put it simply: You play as Henry, a young man who has gone from some random nobody to a trusted retainer in the service of Sir Radzig Kobyla. Kobyla and his buddies support King Wenceslaus IV, who has been kidnapped by Wenceslaus’ half-brother, the pretender Sigismund. Our pal Sigismund has been riding around the country dealing harshly with anyone he sees as a supporter of Wenceslaus, including burning down Henry’s hometown and killing his parents.

Now, Henry is part of the conspiracy to free Wenceslaus and restore him to the throne. At the start of KCD2, he’s off on the road with his spoiled, womanizing best “friend,” Sir Hans Capon, to try and figure out who else among the nobility is willing to help the cause. The two young men frequently butt heads, since Henry was raised as a commoner and sees Hans as sort of stuck-up man-child, and Hans feels Henry doesn’t treat him with the respect a noble deserves.

When is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 coming out?

February 4, 2024 on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 5. The original also received a Switch port earlier this year, six years after the original release, but we don’t know yet whether or not the sequel might eventually be on Switch 2.

What about the PC system requirements?

The Steam page recommends a Core i7-13700K or AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 32 GB RAM, and a GeForce RTX 4070 or Radeon RX 7800 XT. Thankfully, from what I’ve played, it’s much better optimized than the first game, which I still can’t play on max settings to this day even with a rig that meets all of the recommended specs for KCD2.

Can you pet the dog?

Yes! Your trusty Mutt can even help you out in combat.

Anything else I should know?

The devs were nice enough to highlight 8 Little Things Not to Miss in KCD2 for us. If you want to hear my in-depth impressions of the 12+ hours I’ve played so far, you can check out my hands-on preview. We also got a guided in-game tour of Kuttenburg, the biggest city Warhorse has ever created. It’s mostly based on a real city that’s still standing, too, and we also got to go walk around it in real life! So take a peek at our comparison of in-game and real-world locations.

I can’t prepare you for everything. The forests of 1403 Bohemia are vast and full of surprises. But at least now you have some idea of what you’re dealing with. Thanks for riding along with us on our journey through Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 as the final IGN First of 2024!

Here’s how the strategy layer works in Menace, the turn-based squad combat RPG from the Battle Brothers devs

“A tactically rich turn-based game with some meaty role-playing elements”, was how Staff Sergeant James Archer characterised his Menace hands-on, back in September. The only thing missing from his account of the game was the bread needed to make that rich, meaty concoction a tasty, nourishing sandwich.

And by bread, I of course mean the strategic layer – the parts between the turn-based battles where you pick your next mission, improve your squads, deal with pop-up story events, appraise your standing with each NPC faction, and equip your strike cruiser with auxiliary systems. Developers Overhype have now shared a few details of how it all works. Mmmmm, such malty, yeasty strategicalness.

Clambering deep out of the Contemplation Pit, where reading reviews or opinions or, god help you, Takes, is forbidden, I am curious to learn how people have been categorising Songs of Silence. Its structure most resembles Songs of Conquest or Heroes of Might and/or Magic, but with little RPG emphasis or base building, and minimal tactical fighting.

Taxonomy is arbitrary and often unimportant at the end of the day, but I am very glad to firmly rule it out of one category: It’s not a bloody card game. It looks like one, sure. You do most things with cards, and characters acquire more cards over time. But even if you absolutely, utterly, and correctly loathe card-based systems, this game has none.

The Best Game of 2024

In 2024, we saw games where soldiers dove headfirst into alien planets to defend Earth, Princess Zelda led her very own legend, a little robot overcame impossible odds to rescue PlayStation’s greatest characters, and a game of poker played out unlike anything else.

There can be arguments for why any number of our Best Game of 2024 nominees could take home the crown, a stark contrast from last year where Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom were locked-in favorites. The breadth of games on display, from Black Myth: Wukong to Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, means picking this year’s winner was harder than usual, but ultimately there was one clear winner. Here’s IGN’s Best Game of 2024.

Honorable Mentions

Before we get to the overall winner, let’s look back at some of the other games from this year that deserve your recognition, starting with our Honorable Mentions. These nominees were much-loved by IGN’s editorial team but didn’t get as many votes as our winner and runners-up.

The Rise of the Golden Idol

The mystery is afoot in the sequel to 2022’s delightful point-and-click game The Case of the Golden Idol. Set 200 years after the events of the first game, Rise of the Golden Idol returns with more devilishly clever puzzles where you solve various crimes that begin to combine into one grand mystery.

Infinity Nikki

The Fashion Nikki series has always had its share of devotees. The dress-up simulator was a pleasant, cozy way to pass the time, collecting different outfits and making your character as cute as they can be. But Infinity Nikki is a bold reinvention, combining all the elements fans loved, along with the amazing outfits they could create, and adding a vibrant, Zelda-like open-world to explore.

Silent Hill 2

There were doubts as to whether Bloober Team could faithfully remake one of the most beloved horror games of all time. Even Bloober admitted as much, citing the mixed reception some of their previous horror games have received. But the determination to do right by the source material paid off as Silent Hill 2 delivers one of the scariest – and best – gaming experiences of the year. Faithful to everything that made the original great, while updating the rusty, aging bits beautifully, Silent Hill 2 embodies everything that’s great about the original and then some.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

The Prince of Persia, one of gaming’s forgotten greats, finally got a new entry worthy of the Prince’s title. This 2.5D Metroidvania delivers one of the most exhilarating revivals of any franchise in recent memory, and with its tight controls, excellent action, and swashbuckling storytelling, this is the best Prince of Persia game since Sands of Time.

Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong captivated audiences ever since its first trailer was revealed, but that was only a part of the story. Yes, the boss fights are epic, and the combat is sublime, but this loving recreation of one of China’s oldest, most beloved stories means millions of players can finally appreciate the legend of the Monkey Prince in a whole new way.

Animal Well

One of the earliest surprises of the year was Animal Well. On the surface, it’s another well-made homage to past 2D Metroidvania games. But the deeper you go, the more you realize Animal Well isn’t all that it appears. While the core gameplay and platforming are excellent, you quickly discover there’s a massive puzzle at the heart of it all. So take out your notebook and get ready to put your brain to work to uncover the truth behind Animal Well.

Runner-Up: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Next up are games that were oh-so-close to being crowned Game of the Year, but narrowly missed out to the overall winner. MachineGames is back with another Nazi-punching blockbuster. And no, this isn’t a new Wolfenstein game. Instead, the Swedish studio has endeavored to bring one of cinema’s greatest heroes into the modern gaming age. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is essentially a truly great Indiana Jones movie brought to life. And by truly great, we mean up there with the original trilogy. Buoyed by Troy Baker’s frankly insane portrayal of Harrison Ford’s iconic archeologist, The Great Circle feels like a dream come true for anyone who grew up enraptured by movies like The Last Crusade and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Indy was never a shoot ‘em up hero; instead he used his brains as well as his brawn to solve ancient riddles and punch out bad guys, and that’s something MachineGames has wonderfully adapted here. Whether it’s exploring the ancient catacombs of The Vatican or sneaking up on fascists and bonking them over the head, The Great Circle literally puts you into the dirt-caked shoes of Indiana Jones, and it turns out it’s every bit as fun and exciting as we imagined.

Runner-Up: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

“Why is it called The Legend of Zelda if it stars Link?” is a question most have asked at one point in their life. Well, ask no more as Echoes of Wisdom puts Zelda in charge of her own legend in this new top-down adventure game. Visually similar to the 2019 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Echoes of Wisdom is very much a true Zelda game, complete with the classic puzzles and dungeons the series is known for.

Its creators have clearly learned from more recent games in the series too, and even though Echoes of Wisdom is more of a “classic” Zelda experience, the freeform creativity of Breath of the Wild is present thanks to the Echoes mechanic that lets Zelda conjure whatever item and enemy she encounters, leading to all kinds of madcap solutions. Stuck on the other side of a ledge? Just stack a bunch of beds together to cross. Duh.

Runner-Up: Helldivers 2

Are you doing your part in the war to save our galaxy? If not, jump into Helldivers 2 and start blasting away at alien and robot scum. Arrowhead Game Studios delivered one of the new live-service games of the year with the sequel to its isometric alien shooter. Reimagined as a squad-based third-person shooter, Helldivers 2 is both a satirical take on the military-industrial complex while also being an addictive blast thanks to its potent mix of high-powered weaponry, devastating orbital drop missiles, and a spirit of Earthian patriotism.

Runner-Up: Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth

After the prelude that was Final Fantasy 7: Remake, we finally get to the heart of the adventure in the second in Square Enix’s planned trilogy. Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth encompasses some of the most important moments from the original, but more than that stands on its own as a brilliant open world RPG.

What stands out almost immediately is how much love Square Enix has for these characters. It’s clear Square Enix wants players to spend as much time as they can with Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Barrett, and Red XIII, providing plenty of side quests and minigames, and expanding entire moments so that we can all spend just hang with the gang some more before they resume their mission in the fight against Sephiroth. It makes these moments all the more valuable too, given the ending to Rebirth and the approaching finale.

Runner-Up: Astro Bot

Astro Bot’s life began as a humble mascot for the Playroom tech demo. Anytime Sony had some new hardware to show off — whether it was the PS VR headset, or the PlayStation 5 — Astro Bot was there to guide players through the ins-and-outs of whatever new system Sony wanted to show off. But with Astro Bot, the adorable little mascot finally takes center stage.

This colorful, vibrant 3D platformer isn’t just a showcase for the PS5’s powerful GPU and fast SSD, because between the unbridled level of creativity in each level and the controller-stressing difficulty of some of the harder challenge runs, Astro Bot is pure delight and wonderment. Every ability Astro Bot plays around with — from inflating into a balloon or punching enemies with bungee fists — never fails to amuse even the most hardened gamer. I don’t say this lightly, but PlayStation might have just found its answer to Nintendo’s Mario.

Runner-Up: Dragon Age: The Veilguard

After a brief interlude into the live-service genre with games like Anthem, and a perhaps ill-advised attempt to rush out another Mass Effect game with Mass Effect: Andromeda, BioWare has gone back to what it knows best – a good old-fashioned, dungeon-crawling RPG full of delightful characters, witty dialogue, and the chance to create a character who looks and talks exactly the way you want them to. But while BioWare may have opted for a back-to-basics approach to storytelling, there is one area of major improvement: the combat.

It’s not unfair to say this is the best a BioWare game has ever played, from its sword-and-sorcery combat to even the way you traverse the myriad of dungeons and mystical locales. While we’re only one game into the BioWare renaissance, all eyes are back on the storied studio.

Runner-Up: Balatro

“It’s just a poker game with some roguelike mechanics,” I remember saying to friends, incredulously, when they first told me they spent all night playing a little game called Balatro. “How good could it be?” Turns out after tens of thousands of poker hands and hundreds of hours spent playing, Balatro still has me wrapped around its fingers.

A lot can be said about Balatro’s addictive qualities and how it has this magnetic ability to get you to play just one more round. The reason for Balatro’s rapid ascendency is how it took one of America’s oldest games and refashioned it for one of gaming’s most popular genres, the roguelike. The combination of classic poker rules and randomized Joker and Tarot cards that augment your combos and bump up your high score so you can get to the next round is pure gaming bliss. Balatro is built on creating seemingly endless moments of elation and devastation in equal measures. All you have to do is play your cards right… literally.

Winner: Metaphor: ReFantazio

For years, Atlus’ cult-RPG Persona went from being a cool underground RPG series from Japan to one of the biggest franchises in modern gaming. But with Metaphor: ReFantazio, it’s clear the developers behind Persona were seeking to push themselves to new heights. Trading in the modern-day Japanese high school setting for a pure fantasy world full of long-eared knights and bat-like ninjas, Atlus’ Studio Zero has created an incredible and timely meditation on political strife and demagoguery.

After the death of the King, the United Kingdom of Euchronia, divided by racial prejudice among its citizens, begins the process of holding its very first popular election that kickstarts a grand, cross-continental adventure. For anyone familiar with the Persona series, you’ll find familiar hallmarks here. Players split their time crawling through difficult dungeons full of horrifying monsters, while spending free moments building up relationships with various party members and inhabitants around the country.

But while the Persona games took these quiet moments to reaffirm the virtues of youthful friendships, Metaphor uses these times to tackle headier questions. What defines a knight’s duty, or the responsibilities of those born into wealth? Can one ever heal from the pains of racism, and is religious tolerance a foolhardy endeavor? These aren’t easy questions to address but are asked plainly throughout Metaphor’s 70-hour playtime.

While Studio Zero refrains from giving clear-cut answers to these questions, it instead acknowledges the virtues of empathy, kindness, and strength in the face of overwhelming fear and hatred that can take root in an uncertain world where leaders promise salvation in exchange for unwavering loyalty. Wrap these philosophical musings in a stylish, turn-based RPG that looks and feels stupendous — complete with beautiful character designs from artist Shigenori Soejima and music from Shoji Meguro – and you’ll quickly understand why Metaphor: ReFantazio is IGN’s pick for Best Game of 2024.

So congratulations to Metaphor: ReFantazio and Studio Zero, and also to all of our other winners and runner-ups in 2024’s IGN Awards. Be sure to check out our full list of Award Winners for Best Movie, TV Show, and more, and we’ll see you again in 2025 for even more gaming goodness.

Microsoft Flight Simulator and the quest to replace Earth

Early on in Terry Pratchett’s novel The Light Fantastic, a spell is cast to map the world. It begins as a “fireball of occult potentiality,” dangling in the Great Hall of the Unseen University, which evolves into a ghostly “embryo universe.” The embryo expands “lightly as a thought,” with spectral continents “sleeting” through walls and people. It surges across the landscape until the entire population and geography of the Disc is exactly duplicated and enclosed by a shimmering shadow-self of “shining threads that followed every movement.”

Random: ‘Monkey Kong’ On Switch Reminds Us Of Nintendo’s ’83 Legal Battle

Monkey see, monkey do.

Nintendo’s been involved in its fair share of legal battles over the years, but we have a feeling it might be thinking twice before taking on publisher Pix Arts over the recent release of Monkey Kong In New-York on the Nintendo Switch.

Granted, Nintendo can do whatever it likes, and if it thinks there’s even the slightest chance that it might win a legal case, then chances are it will send its ninjas to battle at the earliest opportunity. What’s interesting about this particular game, however, is that it reminds us of a previous legal battle fought between Nintendo and Universal back in 1983.