Any game that’s branded as a “free-to-play” title is almost immediately going to get inundated with any number of negative connotations and accusations alike. Long-winded, grind-inducing, predatory, a matter of luck over skill on the kind of content you’re granted outside of some voluntary, monetary investment. It may sound dismissive and pessimistic, but the number of such games whose priorities with maintaining a steady revenue stream doesn’t get in the way of the base game offered are few and far between. Enter Genshin Impact, developer miHoYo’s far from first rodeo on the F2P frontier — itself thrown many a condescending remark on being a clone of this or Lantern Rite rewards imitation of that. The similarities are there to see of course and while admittedly a touch obvious in parts, what I’m most thankful for with Genshin Impact is the genuine effort and design miHoYo have placed in crafting an enjoyable action RPG to start. A live service, continually-expanding release this may be, Genshin Impact’s starting world, its gameplay, its sheer breadth of exploration put many similar open-world efforts, let alone F2P attempts, to shame. To state with hand on heart I’ve now clocked near to 40 hours and still not spent a single penny — occasionally tempting it may be — I’m grateful that Genshin Impact has taken a more sensible approach to F2P games: satisfying base game first, additional monetization second as an option.

Kokomi’s Normal Attack string has just three hits in its sequence, meaning you can get to your hardest-hitting attack faster. This process also takes less time as a result, making it less likely that your attack string will be interrupted by an enemy you need to do

Nintendo received a lot of flak after the announcement of the long-rumored remastered collection of Super Mario 3D platformers, with complaints citing the minimal improvements from the original releases, limited time availability for purchase and the disappointing absence of Super Mario Galaxy 2. Super Mario 3D All-Stars, however, still ultimately represents one of the few ways to play these acclaimed titles on a modern platform, providing an exciting opportunity for those that missed out over the past couple of decades. After falling in love with Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 back on the Wii, but having never owned an N64 and missing out on Sunshine during its heyday, I honestly thought I may never get a proper opportunity to check out Super Mario 64 and Sunshine on a Nintendo device, considering Nintendo’s recent reluctance to re-release games that came out after the SNES. And as Nintendo slowed down their release schedule for 2020 to adjust to everything going on, I naturally figured that any potential 3D remaster, if it even existed, would be pushed back beyond the mascot’s 35th anniversary. But now, thanks to Super Mario 3D All-Stars, I can officially say that I’ve gotten all 120 stars in Super Mario 64 and am currently aiming to do the same in Sunshine, and despite wonky camera controls and poor checkpoints, I’m still having a blast with the great level design and jolly vibes of these beloved Mario games.

With support characters like Kokomi, you’ll typically want to have their Elemental Burst ready to use on cooldown. Not only does this ensure smoother team rotations, but it can also be vital to keeping team members alive or finishing off bosses at the last sec

A game I’m thankful for in 2020 is one that was met with universal critical acclaim and extremely-divided fan reactions: The Last of Us Part II. There are elements of this game that can be legitimately criticized, but personally the good outweighed the bad. But while I would argue this is overall a great game by most objective standards, I’m thankful for it because of more personal reasons. The original game was a topic of deep discussion with my other half so naturally we were anticipating this release. Playing through the game together was a good bonding activity and led to hours of discussion about the character choices and the storytelling approaches used in The Last of Us Part II.

Weapon Rankings Best Bows, Ranked Best Catalysts, Ranked Best Claymores, Ranked Best Swords, Ranked Best Polearms, Ranked Royal Weapons Explained Best Forged Weapons Best Five-Star Weapons Best Five-Star Wea

Sucker Punch Productions’ transition from superheroes to samurai was a resounding success. We all knew the game would be gorgeous, as evidenced from its E3 2018 reveal, but what we didn’t know was just how much of a gem its story and gameplay would be. The tale of Jin Sakai was an engrossing one, pulling players in as he attempted to rid his home of the Mongol threat. Sucker Punch beautifully realized the world, stacking it with characters that would challenge the player’s perception of the old ways and push them towards a new path, the path of the Ghost. Similarly, on paper the gameplay is simple, but elegantly crafted and possessing hidden depth. Swapping of different stances, the different gadgets and the ability to instill fear when in Ghost mode all add to masterful gameplay loop. What really makes me so thankful for Ghost of Tsushima, however, is that it’s just fun. In a year defined by tragedy, hardship and anxiety, Ghost of Tsushima makes it easy to get lost in its beautiful world. When you need a break from the hard-hitting story, there’s plenty of Mongolian slaying to be found. Sucker Punch Productions gives players a samurai sword, let’s them loose in a beautiful world and let’s them have at it. 2020 has been a rough year for so many, but Ghost of Tsushima provides a fantastic 20-30 hour respite from the world.