Twitchstreamer PirateSoftware made history today, breaking the record for the highest ever Hype Train that the platform has seen since the feature’s inception. Not only has PirateSoftware broken the record, but they absolutely destroyed it, also becoming the first ever streamer to cap out the Hype Train feature at Level 55. The moment that PirateSoftware broke the record was shared on the LivestreamFail subreddit earlier today, in which game director Jason Hall - better known to his fans as Thor - struggles to hold back his incredulity at somehow managing to become the record holder of Twitch’s highest ever Hype Train...

It’s well and truly the holiday season andPokemonis very aware of that.The Pokemon Center’s holiday collection is now availableand includes everything from a Charizard Christmas sweater to a Munchlax hot chocolate mug. Whether you’re heading there right now to buy something from that collection, picking up a Pokemon gift for a loved one, or just grabbing something for yourself, you’ll get a little something extra if you order anything through the Pokemon Center right now....

Black Friday weekend might still be more than two weeks away, but the sales have already begun. A big holiday season for thePlayStationand thePS5has already begun following the launch ofMarvel’s Spider-Man 2. Later this week the slimmer version of the console goes on sale, and next week thePlayStation Portalwill launch. Knowing more people than ever will become PS5 owners over the next two months, PlayStation has cut the price of the console’s accessories across multiple retailers....

I finally finishedMarvel’s Spider-Man 2. I started it on launch day, so given how quickly most people seemed to play through that game, I feel like I’m an eternity behind. But I couldn’t help it! While playing the game, myPS5crashed at least once an hour. Making progress in Spider-Man 2 required getting up, unplugging my PS5, plugging it back in, and hoping the autosave odds were in my favor. It was a game that I had eagerly anticipated for itsrelaxing, autumnal qualitiesand, in practice, it was anti-relaxing....

Summary Golden Sunis something of a cult hit. Renowned mostly among enthusiasts or those nostalgic for handheld consoles, Golden Sun was originally released by Camelot Software Planning for theGame Boy Advancein 2001. It was quickly followed by a sequel, as well as a third game in 2012 for the Nintendo DS. The first game, in particular, has been lauded as one of the bestRPGs to grace the system, establishing the series as a fixture onNintendohandhelds....

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Nameis the latest game in the Like a Dragon series. It’s also the shortest one, and leading up to January’s Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth can be a bit of a wait for those craving more of the gritty beat-em-up in the meantime. The Like a Dragon experience is one that’s hard to find anywhere else, but after a bit of searching, it’s definitely possible to find a similar experience....

We’ve been talking aboutSkull and Bonessince I was in sixth form seven years ago. It’s been a long time coming, withnumerous delays, restarts in development, and re-reveals, but we’ll finally get to sail its seas next month. However, its lengthy development - which started back in 2013 when it was originally anAssassin’s Creed: Black Flagmultiplayer expansion - has allegedly caused production costs to skyrocket. A couple of years ago,Kotakureported that development costs had reached a staggering $120 million, with one former developer allegedly saying that things fell apart because “Nobody knew what the f*** they were doing”....

Digital ownership is a strange concept to parse. Whenever we purchase a game from the PlayStation Store we aren’t so much as purchasing a title as we are being lent the license to play it. Take a peek into the terms and conditions and there is nothing stopping Sony from giving you three months notice and pulling the game from your library forever. It’ll still be yours so long as it remains on a hard drive somewhere, but otherwise, you’re out of luck....

RememberMarvel’s Avengers? I was in the room on that fateful day in 2019 asSquare EnixandCrystal Dynamicsrevealed its ambitious superhero live-service title to the world. They spoke about it with excessive gravitas, introducing familiar characters, an epic story, and upcoming plans for the future without once telling us what this game actually was. No information about how it would play, whether it was online or single-player, or even if it had a connection with the MCU....

Tekken is about a lot of things, but mainly it’s aboutpunching your friends in the face and laughing at them. That’s what two of our editors, Stacey Henley and George Foster, did during the review period to test outTekken 8’snew features in the tense, lean-forward-in-your-chair environment you only get in a head to head bout. you may watch the video above for their unscripted conversation with fellow editor Eric Switzer, or read on for some calmer, more organised thoughts....

Summary It probably isn’t surprising to you that music, sound design, and audio in general are vital and integral parts of virtually every video game in existence. Although there are plenty to pick from, games likeMetal: HellsingerorHi-Fi Rushare perfect examples of how powerful and influential sound can be. VanillaMinecrafthas a pretty satisfying and well-designed sound overall, except for that jarring noise a glass block makes when you break it, but if you’re looking for more granularity and control over the game’s audio, or new sound-based features seem interesting to you, these mods have you covered....

Simulation games are well known for allowing you to experience all kinds of unique adventures and occupations from the comfort of your own home. Casual players can get by using standard control schemes, while others can go wild with peripherals to create an even more immersive experience. Among the genre, flight simulators are some of the most popular, and understandably so. From the pilot’s seat, you’re able to soar across the skies, visit other worlds, or engage in harrowing dogfights all the while emulating a sense of realism beyond what gaming normally strives for....

Summary Against the Stormis aroguelikestrategy gamewhere you take on the role of a Viceroy who builds settlements in a hostile, rain-soaked world. These settlements are an exercise in keeping your people alive and happy against the clock as the Scorched Queen grows impatient with your efforts. With each outpost, you get a semi-random mix of species to populate it, each with their own unique needs, specialties, and bonuses. All the species are strong in their own right, but their differences mean that some of them are simply better than others, especially since their needs define your win conditions....