Games

Early in Elden Ring, players are handed (or can purchase) the Spirit Calling Bell, which lets them summon computer-controlled Spirit Ash allies. This mechanic opens up entirely new strategies, as it allows players to eventually collect and upgrade an army of minions to fulfill different roles in battles. Initially, players can only summon a pack

I went into Elden Ring wondering if FromSoftware would possibly be able to fill such a massive open-world game with the kind of difficult boss fights that have (in their own way) come to define the Soulsborne games and many of their spiritual spin-offs. After all, with so many options available to players and so

While it’s understandable that Elden Ring players are desperate to find the most “powerful” weapons in the game as part of their constant effort to stay a few steps ahead of this incredibly difficult open-world title, the truth of the matter is that you really can turn just about any weapon in Elden Ring into

This article contains spoilers for Elden Ring. Elden Ring is certainly FromSoftware’s biggest game yet, but like other Soulsborne titles, the story doesn’t hold players’ hands. Gamers have to keep track of their quests and progression without the aid of a checklist, which can leave many scratching their heads when it comes time to actually

While the hype for Elden Ring often bordered on “absurd” in the days, weeks, months, and even years leading up to the game’s release, nothing could have quite prepared us for the final product. Elden Ring is not only one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time and, by all early accounts, an

This article contains spoilers for Elden Ring. Whether they’re hiding in plain sight or camping out in secret locations, Easter eggs and references are a proud tradition in video games (and pretty much every other medium). Previous FromSoftware titles are flush with those secrets, and Elden Ring is certainly no different. Hidetaka Miyazaki has a

You can technically beat Elden Ring pretty much however you want if you’re talented/dedicated enough, but most players will want to use the game’s full range of upgrades and abilities in order to overcome its most devastating challenges. That means you’ll probably want to find Elden Ring‘s best Ash of War enhancements at some point.

In Dark Souls, players can find various rings that increase their stats, abilities, and defenses, and Elden Ring continues that tradition in its own way with talismans. Like their forebears, talismans provide a litany of advantages, and while some only provide minor bonuses, the most powerful ones impart substantial advantages and even unique buffs. Odds

Elden Ring allows you to turn nearly any weapon in the game into some of the most powerful pieces of equipment imaginable, but before you can upgrade the game’s considerable arsenal, you’re going to have to find some of the rarest and most valuable items in the game: Smithing Stones and Somber Smithing Stones. Smithing

It won’t be long into your Elden Ring adventure before you start thinking about leveling up your character and finding the best build for your starting class. After all, Elden Ring may allow you to build a character pretty much however you’d like, but there are some classes that are able to reach those endgame

While we all knew that Elden Ring was going to reignite the debate about the difficulty of FromSoftware games and the many titles they’ve influenced, I wasn’t expecting to find myself suddenly conflicted about the game’s difficulty level and general design philosophy as soon as I encountered the first major boss in the game’s open-world:

While virtually every gamer predicted that Nintendo and Game Freak would unleash spectacular announcements during Pokémon Day (February 27th), nobody expected the companies to reveal a new mainline Pokémon game. Few also expected to immediately fall in love with the game’s new starters, but will that love last? While the trailer for Pokémon Scarlet and

Elden Ring pushes the Soulsborne genre forward in many ways. While the game features many FromSoftware design hallmarks, such as difficult combat and the Moonlight Greatsword, it also includes plenty of new mechanics that make the experience feel fresh. One such addition is Spirit Ashes. Normally, players have to soldier on alone in games like

While Elden Ring is undoubtedly full of Game of Thrones Easter eggs that have yet to be discovered, one of the game’s earliest references to George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series takes the form of an incredible greatsword that is as visually satisfying as it is powerful. To find this weapon, you’ll

When you boil down Elden Ring’s premise to its base elements, you have a fairly simple mission: Kill the Shardbearers and claim their Great Runes. Each Great Rune is a powerful artifact that provides substantial buffs, but unlike most equipment, you need to jump through quite a few hoops to use them. After you acquire

It’s not always easy to find proper weapon upgrades in Elden Ring, but if you know where to look, you might be surprised by how many powerful new weapons you can find during even the earlier parts of the game. Like its Soulsborne spiritual predecessors, it’s certainly possible to upgrade just about any weapon in

This article contains light spoilers for the first three episodes of Shenmue the Animation. Adapting video games for television is not something that happens very often. Filmmakers prefer to bring their favorites to the movie theater, sometimes with big name actors and budgets. But games that tell sweeping stories and create immersive worlds deserve a

Elden Ring has finally been released to widespread critical acclaim and what many believe will be record sales for a FromSoftware title, but the PC version of the much-anticipated game has sadly been plagued by various bugs, glitches, and general performance issues that are preventing many players from diving into the open-world RPG epic. While

Microsoft’s purchase of ZeniMax Media last year gave Xbox the keys to one of the game industry’s biggest publishing powerhouses: Bethesda Softworks. A platform that had previously struggled with providing a steady flow of first-party exclusives to its users suddenly had everything Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, Arkane Studios, MachineGames, and Tango Gameworks had to

Soulsborne titles are lauded for their difficulty, and while much of the genre’s joy lies in the challenge, many entries ease the burden with co-op. While FromSoftware’s previous title, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, didn’t include multiplayer, Elden Ring brings it back. As players explore the Lands Between, they can team up to conquer various challenges

Elden Ring may be the biggest video game release of the year and it’s only February. This collaboration between celebrated studio FromSoftware and acclaimed novelist George R. R. Martin brings a whole new fantasy world full of dangers and punishing boss fights for Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro fans to explore. This time around, players

Horizon Forbidden West is one of the most highly anticipated games of the year. The game certainly has its flaws but is otherwise a solid and enjoyable experience that has won over many gamers and critics. However, the game is also attracting a notable number of negative reviews that are…weird…to say the least. When you

Even though Horizon Forbidden West follows an open-world formula, the game is dotted with various roadblocks players can’t overcome without special items. One of those Metroidvania-esque obstacles are growths of red, crystalline fungi called Firegleam that plays won’t be able to clear until they’ve progressed through the main story. Odds are you will first discover

Horizon Forbidden West is a massive game filled with a ton of collectibles, side activities, and customization options. The title’s survey drones not only check all three of those boxes but provide a respite from the usual pursuit of destroying robots. As you wander the post-apocalyptic world of Horizon Forbidden West, you’ll find a total

Even though Horizon Forbidden West was seemingly never meant to be a launch title for the PlayStation 5, the advantages you’ll enjoy for deciding to play the game on that platform (from the PS5’s lightning-fast SSD to its controller’s haptic feedback rumble motors and adaptive triggers) have been heavily advertised so far. That approach has

It may seem like a natural transition for Uncharted, one of the most cinematic game franchises in history, to be adapted to the big screen, but the games aren’t just movielike in their presentation; they’re every bit as well-made and entertaining as the Hollywood action movies they pay homage to, if not moreso. Even the

Horizon Forbidden West offers an absolutely massive open-world filled with threats to overcome and secrets to discover, so you’re probably going to want to acquire the game’s various mounts at some point if you’re going to give yourself a fair chance to see it all. Much as it was in Zero Dawn, Forbidden West‘s mounts

Even though the bow is Aloy’s signature weapon in Horizon Forbidden West, she is proficient in a wide variety of ranged weapons that blend futuristic technology and caveman aesthetics. As you’d expect, players can acquire a healthy roster of weapons, some of which are extremely powerful. Unfortunately, since Horizon Forbidden West isn’t a loot shooter,

Horizon Zero Dawn introduced a novel way to reveal the map by populating the game world with giant, giraffe-like robots called Tallnecks. These peaceful machines with radar dishes for heads return in Horizon Forbidden West, and climbing them is necessary if players want to fully explore the ruined land of San Francisco and its surrounding

This article contains spoilers for Uncharted. Uncharted isn’t just a somewhat surprisingly fun movie that tries to capture the spirit of classic adventure films gone by, it’s a video game adaptation that generously cites its source material through a variety of easter eggs. Thos movie seriously pays tribute to the blockbuster PlayStation games (as well