The concept of a ‘cozy game’ is fairly nebulous. Any game that helps you relax and delivers that much-needed warm and fuzzy feeling can be described as such. While some people might not expect much of a story when they’re in a cozy mood, others find that cuddling on the couch is the perfect time for an epic tale. Some of the games on this list have more lighthearted, humorous stories....

Summary You have your single-player games where you can immerse yourself as a hero and co-op games where you can challenge your relationship with a person. What’s better than both? Video games where you can play with a group of friends. That’s when people’s true colors start showing. There are different genres of multiplayer party games for a night with your friends, such as board game-style content or murder mysteries. This list contains some of the more highly-rated, popular games that support four or more players....

The PlayStation 5 is one of the most advanced consoles ever to be released, wowing gamers with ray tracing, SSDs, and other impressive features that allow for true technological marvels. But, sometimes, a well-designed 2D game is just as fulfilling as a large triple-A title, and the PS5 has some fantastic games that stick to only two dimensions. From side-scrolling platformers to top-down RPGs, 2D continues to be a fruitful endeavor for indie and major developers on the PS5....

Summary Hearthstone’s Treants are an odd category ofminion, as they exist almost exclusively in Druid, the only exceptions being a few Dual-Class cards that allow other classes to access them. While they aren’t an official minion type like Murlocs or Beasts, Treants have all the synergies you would expect. As a result, Treant decks have not only been viable but quite powerful at various times in Hearthstone’s history. Some decks have even been built entirely around these little trees....

It’s been said countless times already but it can never be said enough: 2023 was an amazing year for games, and a horrible year for the people that make them. It is unconscionable that the same game companies that reported record profits this year can also lay off thousands of developers, many just before the holidays. When you look at a game like Destiny 2, which is listed as one of the highest-earning games on Steam this year, and try to reconcile that with the fact that Bungie laid off 100 people because it missed its annual revenue target by 45 percent, it’s clear that there’s something very wrong with the business of video games today....

I go back and forth about my stance on video game remakes. On the one hand I find them largely to be creative dead ends. The game industry is already obsessed with sequels and franchises, and remakes of beloved classics just bring us one step closer to artistic oblivion. This is not a criticism of the people that roll up their sleeves and put in the work to create the best remake they can, I just wish they could use their talents to create something new, something that adds more cultural value to the world rather than the equivalent of a strong belch that fleetingly reminds you of a delicious meal you once had....

No Return always seemed like the meatiest chunk inThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered’sstew, so it makes sense to savour it all on its own. While The Lost Levels provide some intrigue, as my full review explores, they’re too short and only give us Ellie’s side of the story - a spice in the stew that is both too sparing and too hot. These were the two central draws to this remastered edition (the visuals were already great and thus had little improvement to offer), and while I expected The Lost Levels to be the high point of the experience, it was No Return that kept pulling me back in time and time again....

The 2023/24 Oscar nominations have just been revealed and it’s a statement of how high quality last year was that Leo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, and Natalie Portman being snubbed has been taken as fair enough. Some people call them the 2023 Oscars (these people are correct) due to them being for films released in 2023, and others call them the 2024 Oscars (these people are wrong) due to them being held in 2024, but I’m done fighting, so 2023/24 it is....

Over the past 30 years, there have been numerous Warhammer games of vastly different quality. Some are based on standalone tabletop games likeBlood Bowl, Space Hulk, and Necromunda, while most recent games are often set in theWarhammer 40,000universe. Now Frontier Developments is looking to blur the lines between the physical and digital sides of the hobby withWarhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin. In a recent trip to Warhammer World I was able to see the progression of the hobby over the past 40 years, as well as speak to Daniel Saunders, game designer on Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin, about how the game seeks to bring unique elements of the tabletop experience into video games for the first time....

This week,Hideo Kojima and A24 revealed that they’ve teamed up to bring Death Stranding to the big screen. “It’s official,” the indie film distributortweeted. “We’ve partnered with Kojima Productions on the live-action feature film adaptation of Hideo Kojima’s acclaimed video game, DEATH STRANDING.” What is a little surprising is that this is apparently what A24 had in mindwhen The Wrap reported that the company planned to start making more IP and franchise movies....

Quick Links Cadia Stands! Or at least it used to until the forces of Chaos rocked it pretty hard. This legendary planet in theWarhammer 40Kuniverse has quite a brutal and unfortunate track record over the millennia. Without it, the galaxy as a whole is a hell of a lot worse. But why is this floating ball of dirt so important? Cadia is, unfortunately, one of those planets on the frontlines of some of the worst events in the 40K timeline....

Marvelfans were treated to a new installment in theMCUover the holidays, a new episode of What If dropping every day for nine days in a row at the end of December. The second season of the animated show explores various scenarios had things gone differently in the MCU, including an episode in which Nebula joins the Nova Corps, and another where Peter Quill takes on the Avengers. There’s also an episode whereIron Manends up on Sakaar....

Quick Links With every update,Genshin Impactcaptivates players with new and exciting playable characters. In Version 4.1, the spotlight shines on Charlotte, Fontaine’s plucky and unfaltering reporter, who charmed her way into the hearts of many during her first appearance in an Inazuma event, and again in the first act of Fontaine’s Archon Quest. Now with a flourish of cryo and a flash of her Kamera, Monsieur Verite, Charlotte steps into the fray....