From one remake to another, fans of the Crash Bandicoot franchise were overjoyed when it was announced that their favorite marsupial would be returning with a modernized version of the original PlayStation 1 trilogy. The game didn't disappoint and it sparked a resurgence for the series that has seen the release of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Ti

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is regarded by some to have the greatest open-world in the genre's history. It's easy to see why, as Breath of the Wild 's map wastes little space despite its enormous size, with things to do and see around every cor

Grenades are some of the best items to use early on in XCOM 2. They cover a reasonable radius, destroy cover, armor, and deal guaranteed damage, and Grenadiers maximize on these skills by having tons of additional range and ammo for these vital pieces of weapo

There was a time when the revival of the science fiction franchise XCOM by Firaxis Games was seen as simply a small-scale, back-up title to the main event. But long before the squad-based shooter disappointed many, the traditional, turn-based strategy XCOM: Enemy Unknown had been launched to near universal acclaim, not only doing the brand justice, but reinvigorating the genre as a whole. The expansion Enemy Within doubled down on the fiction and gameplay - but it was **XCOM 2 ** that had the anticipation in its fa

Unlike other 4X games without a linear story, and unlike other strategy games that constrain players into a specific storyline, Total War: Warhammer 2 has a bit of both. In this hybrid title, players can opt to play through the Eye of the Vortex campaign. This narrative mode tells a unique story befitting the Warhammer Fantasy franchise. However, players can also play under a traditional 4X setup. With this setting, factions try to conquer the world map with diplomacy, subterfuge, and warf

Players of Stellaris aren't "Evil," but only brave souls would dare venture into the vastness of Stellaris and its 4X experience. Similar to other strategy games, Stellaris players control their own colony , this time in space. Additionally, alongside this premise are the usual things found in 4X games. These include resource gathering and tech trees, diplomacy and warfare, and even dealing with various wacky scenar

However, the next ten years may see the direction change once again, as cover art is regaining importance thanks to the prominent rise of Game Pass and other subscription services. With EA Play included, Game Pass now has over 200 games available to players, giving cover art newfound importance as games need to find ways to stand out from the cr

However, just like in Enemy Unknown, Sharpshooters in XCOM 2 are built with a singular purpose: kill everything on your screen. Snipers get this done with high-damage sniper rifles that are deadly accurate, and their inherent Squadsight ability means you can often do this without putting them in danger. Not only are they deadly, but you can put them in places where they're almost always unable to be kil

There'll always be some luck involved in an XCOM game, but many attacks will just miss when you most need them and your Ranger can often just end up killed if any move fails. As a result, they can be extremely risky without a whole lot of extra upgrades and attention put on t

While Enemy Unknown 's basic gameplay loop saw players taking uneasy steps into hostile territory, unsure of ambushes, it's the player who now stalks their alien prey. Squad members can be led, one by one, up to the very fringe of monitored areas. From there, it's possible to identify secondary targets or assets (now a core layer of the mission objectives), and surround enemy troops and traitors before they know what's about to hit them. And when it hits them... it's glori

Fans have been clamoring for Persona 5 to come on the Switch for the longest time. While Persona 5 Strikers might not be the exact Slg game events they were hoping for, it's still a brilliant title that combines the mechanics of Dynasty Warriors with Persona 5 's combat for some truly brilliant

Moreover, the game mostly prioritizes earning piety points and prestige to "proceed" across the timeline. As such, players determine what "success" means to them. The game features a unique education and genetics system, which makes marriage also a strategic element in the franch

A sign of a good cover is if someone who has no idea about the product can guess what genre it's in and what it's going to be about. It doesn't take a gaming expert to look at Halo 4 's cover and know instantly that not only is Master Chief the hero but that the game is going to consist of him at war with the odds stacked solidly against him, exemplified by him kneeling beneath the crumbling world ab

For those who have been waiting until XCOM 2 hit consoles to see how it follows on the story of the first game, the twist from Firaxis is the kind of bold and ambitious that would seem alien to other studios (pardon the pun). After spending an entire campaign - or two - battling an alien infestation with the backing of world governments and cutting-edge technology, Firaxis took the fate of the world out of the players' hands: Humanity had lost. The Aliens won. Twenty years have passed. And XCOM has been scattered to the w