At the risk of putting people off,Magic: The Gatheringis one of the most complicated games in the world. With tens of thousands of cards, hundreds of mechanics, and a rulebook longer than most novels, even just learning how to play can be tough. At the highest levels, even the pros struggle to track a table of cards moving about, and nobody expects anyone to know what every card does. Instead of forcing everyone to learn everything, Magic gets by thanks to clever templating and a clean design refined over 30 years to convey information to you mid-game....

Netflixis one of the biggest streaming services in the world, with a plethora of exclusive content and properties. Some of those properties have since been adapted into video games. However, as Netflix continues to push into the video game market, many of its games thus far have been mobile focused. It has plenty of smaller, indie games on offer too. But there are a lot of properties that could become big budget, triple-A style video games if Netflix wanted to go in that direction....

There’s only a handful of Christmas-themed video games, but there are even fewer New Year’s games. In fact, outside of a few seasonal events, there may not technically beanygames that take place on or center around the start of a new year. It’s no wonder why the Christmas holiday overshadows New Year’s, but there’s a lot of rich themes to explore when it comes to New Year’s too - though they may not be the ones that first come to mind....

Nintendois releasing various bundles ahead of the holidays as we near the end of what might well be the final calendar year during which theSwitchis its focus. A new console is seemingly on the horizon and could be here as soon as 2024, but after moving past 132 million units sold, there are still plenty of Switches to be sold. There are also more Switch owners than ever to sell to, and all of them can grab a Joy-Con bundle that saves them almost $40 starting today....

Summary Of all the Magical Traditions inPathfinder Second Edition Remaster, occult magic has the most mystery surrounding it. If you want to investigate the secrets of the world and lean into the strange and unexplained side of magic, playing a character with these spells at their disposal is the way to go. When playing an occult magic user, you have a lot of freedom from the usual expectations regarding your role in a standard adventuring party....

One of my big goals for 2024 isto finally beat Bloodborne. Likemy colleague Eric Switzer, I considerFromSoftware’s Gothic horror game a favorite despite never finishing it. When I bought the game for my new PS4 back in 2017, it was my introduction to the Souls-like genre. Listening to gaming podcasts had thoroughly prepared me for the challenge I would face in the tough-as-nails action RPG subgenre, so when I started it up, I was willing to put in the time to learn its rhythms like I was learning a new skill....

One of the most iconic moments in the originalRed Dead Redemptionis John Marston’s trip to Mexico, and exploring the small part of the country called Nuevo Paraíso that you’re allowed to play around in is a nice breath of fresh air from the dusty trails and snowy hills of the rest of the game. Unfortunately,Red Dead Redemption 2doesn’t take you to Mexico, but one fan is trying to fix that....

Disney Lorcana’s first expansion Rise of the Floodborn is only a week away, and it’s set to be the biggest shakeup to the game we may ever get. With 204 new cards entering the pool, the number of available cards will double, opening up countless new opportunities for deck building and experimentation. Last weekend I wrote about the huge power spike coming with the expansion, which is making The First Chapter look more and more like a basic introduction to the game with each new card revealed....

I don’t know if you’ve been keeping an eye on the world of video games, but we’ve had loads of them this year. A mixture of all-timers, indie darlings and absolute bangers we’ll be playing for years to come. Right now I’m struggling to catch up on certain games ahead of heated GOTY discussions, slowly surrendering to the fact that I simply won’t have enough time to play everything on my mind....

Sonic Generationsis getting a remaster, titled Sonic x Shadow Generations. This was just unveiled with an announcement trailer at PlayStation’sState of Play, giving us our first look at the next Sonic release. It also gives us a release window: Autumn 2024. Check out the reveal trailer for Sonic x Shadow Generations below, featuring gameplay for Classic Sonic, Modern Sonic, and of course, Shadow-centric levels. Since the trailer dropped, Sega has shed some more light on how Shadow will be implemented into this remaster....

Sonic’s Christmas gift to Amy Rose this year is particularly brutal, as he took her heart-shaped picture frame and used it as a chance to friendzone her yet again. Ever since Amy was first introduced in theSonic the Hedgehogseries, her dynamic with the Blue Blur has always been pretty clear - she has a massive crush on him and he’s not all that fussed about her. That’s been the case for decades, but recent years have changed things up a bit and let him be softer with her, most notably inSonic Frontierswhere he actually seems to care about her affections in a romantic way....

Summary Nintendomight not be ready to admit it officially, but it’s clearly up to something. As theSwitchprepares to celebrate its seventh birthday, an announcement regarding what’s next on the hardware front is expected sometime soon. That might mean the final newamiiboreleased is the Sora figure arriving on February 16, one that has been extremely hard to pin down a pre-order for. There are some still available, you’re just going to have to settle for it arriving from further afield....

Summary As anyone who’s ever attempted to build new habits can tell you, it can be difficult to find the time and energy to make them stick. Especially if you’re working, are still a student, are balancing family and friends, or maybe all three, keeping up new habits can seem tedious at best. Luckily, because so many people have found themselves struggling with the same thing, there are a few options available to alleviate that tedium....