Games

Image: R. Talsorian Games / Image: Fantasy Flight Games / Image: Z-Man Games / Image: Perte & Fracas

Travel to the Golden Age of The Witcher and See Pandemic’s Newest Legacy in Gaming News

Welcome back to Gaming Shelf, io9’s column all about board games and tabletop roleplaying games. This week, Gen Con Online gets things in full swing with its events schedule for the digital convention experience. Plus, a look at Pandemic Legacy’s upcoming season and a special anniversary edition for The Lord of the Rings: The Board…

Games Beth Elderkin Jul 7

Nintendo Needs to Bring These Apps to Animal Crossing’s Nook Phone Right Now

Animal Crossing: New Horizons may have outsold every other entry in the series and become the quarantine game du jour, but there’s always room for improvement. Because let’s face it, for every good design decision Nintendo makes, there are just as many questionable ones. Take the Nook Phone, for instance. A new addition to the…

Games Alyse Stanley Jul 5

The Creators of Pokémon Go Are Now Working on a Settlers of Catan AR Game

In a blog post on its website yesterday, Niantic, the company behind the somehow-still-popular Pokémon Go augmented reality smartphone game, revealed it was working on at least 10 new AR games including one that turns your neighborhood and city into one of the most popular board games since Monopoly: Settlers of Catan. Niantic promises the…

Games Andrew Liszewski Jul 1

This Doctor Who Sliding Puzzle Game Is Driving Me Insane and I Can’t Stop Playing It

I’m sorry, but if I see Patrick Troughton’s face ever again, it will be too soon. Doctor Who’s latest attempt to distract us all from the, well, World in Which We Live is not a new piece of short fiction, or a tiny slice of audio-drama fun, but instead a procrastination nightmare from which I…

Games James Whitbrook Jun 30

Documents Leak Teasing a Cheaper Xbox Series X

Xbox Series X development docs, distributed courtesy of a leaker on Twitter, tease a long-rumored second Xbox Series X. As the Verge’s Tom Warren notes, the second console, code-named Lockhart, has been rumored for some time. This is just more fuel for the “Lockhart is real” fire. If it is indeed in development it will…

Games Alex Cranz Jun 26

Pokémon Sword and Shield’s New Isle of Armor Expansion Is a Breath of Fresh Air

When Nintendo first announced that Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield would be receiving two massive DLC expansions that would drastically add to the Galar region’s overall geography, it felt as if the company was preparing to address the game’s previous tendency to feel a bit “empty” at times. Hopefully, that meant by fleshing things out…

Games Charles Pulliam-Moore Jun 25

Before You Risk Yourself for Tenet, Christopher Nolan Would Love It If You Watched Inception in Fortnite

Or The Prestige and Batman Begins, depending on where you are. That’s the thing about the most popular video game in the world: unlike most movie theater chains right now, it’s open everywhere across the planet. After already previously releasing a new trailer for his upcoming time-travel-but-not-apparently-time-travel mystery action movie in Epic’s Battle Royale video…

Games James Whitbrook Jun 24

The Last of Us Part II Is a Painful, Beautiful, Emotional Roller Coaster

In the best possible way, The Last of Us Part II is hard. Not the overall challenge or its controls—gameplay is secondary to the emotional toll the story takes on you. It’s not a game that lets you choose what path to take: be the bad guy, be the good guy, etc. It forces you to…

Games Germain Lussier Jun 24

Hell Yeah, We’re Beating Up MODOK in the Avengers Game

We shouldn’t be that surprised, really—we’ve known for a while that AIM would have a role in Crystal Dynamics and Square-Enix’s upcoming Avengers action game. But now we’ve got a better picture of the game’s story, and George Tarleton’s big-headed role in it. As part of a larger livestream about the game’s mechanics, Square-Enix has…

Games James Whitbrook Jun 24

Image: Isaac Liu / Image: Brotherwise Games / Image: Roll20 / Image: CMON Games

Padmé Joins Star Wars: Legion, Roll20 Makes Its Own RPG, and More in Gaming News

Welcome back to Gaming Shelf, io9’s column all about board games and tabletop roleplaying games. itch.io recently finished its groundbreaking bundle campaign for Black Lives Matter, and we’ve got information on more bundles and deals to benefit BLM causes. Plus, word on a Star Wars escape room game and how Terraforming Mars has terraformed its…

Games Beth Elderkin Jun 23

How R.A. Salvatore Helped Bring Icewind Dale to Games Again for Dark Alliance

Later this year, a familiar name to Dungeons & Dragons video game fans is finally making a return with the reboot of Dark Alliance, the beloved hack-n’-slash action RPG series. To do so, it’s bringing in some familiar D&D icons in the form of Drizzt Do’Urden and his legendary friends—which also meant seeking the aid…

Games James Whitbrook Jun 19

Rap Godz Co-Creator Shares Why He Made One of the Industry’s Only Hip Hop Board Games

Three years ago, Omari Akil and his brother Hamu Dennis were sitting down for a night of board games. A few hours later, they were making their own. They’re the team behind Rap Godz, a tabletop game about becoming an industry-changing hip hop artist. And just like the characters in their game, the founders of…

Games Beth Elderkin Jun 19

Dungeons & Dragons Team Announces New Plans to Address Race and Inclusivity in the Game

Dungeons & Dragons has made strides in recent years to ensure the Forgotten Realms (and the planes beyond it) better represent the world we live in, and a playerbase that is more diverse than ever before. But in light of ongoing reckonings across the world against issues of systemic racism, Wizards of the Coast has…

Games James Whitbrook Jun 18

Inside Dungeons & Dragons‘ Chilling New Adventure, Rime of the Frostmaiden

Pack your bags with as many winter clothes and things to bludgeon giants with as you can, adventurers: Wizards of the Coast has unveiled the latest adventure module for Dungeons & Dragons’ fifth edition. We’re heading off to Icewind Dale to uncover grand mysteries and sinister secrets. Announced as part of today’s Dungeons & Dragons…

Games James Whitbrook Jun 18

The Wonderful 101‘s Enduring Superpower Is Its Focus on Teamwork and Community

In the world of The Wonderful 101, the recently remastered and re-released action-adventure game that originally launched in 2013 for the Nintendo Wii U, the planet’s best line of defense against an invading army of aliens is a massive squad of sentai-like superheroes who, in addition to having a variety of powers, are able to…

Games Charles Pulliam-Moore Jun 17

The Next Star Wars Game Lets You Take Flight for the Rebellion and Empire

All wings, report in. After teasing it late last week, EA has revealed its next video game adventure into the galaxy far, far away: Star Wars: Squadrons. This time, you aren’t marching onto the battlefronts of those titular wars or wielding the lightsaber of a fallen order, but absolutely getting permission to jump in an…

Games James Whitbrook Jun 15

Miles Morales Stars in a New Spider-Man Game Coming to PS5 This Year [Updated]

Miles Morales is coming to PlayStation 5. Update 2: 6/12/20, 11:45 a.m. ET: After reports earlier this morning that Miles Morales was an expansion to Spider-Man, Insomniac walked that back to say it is “the next adventure in the Marvel’s Spider-Man universe. We will reveal more about this standalone game at a future date.” Bloomburg…

Games Germain Lussier Jun 11

Image: Immersion Interactive / Image: The Op / Image: Hunters Books / Image: itch.io

Game Companies Address Black Lives Matter, The Shining Gets an Escape Room, and More in Gaming News

Welcome to Gaming Shelf, io9’s column all about board games and tabletop roleplaying games. The past week of protests against racism and police brutality had a huge impact on the national conversation, and that’s not expected to change anytime soon. We’ve provided a few resources for game companies that are helping out during the protests,…

Games Beth Elderkin Jun 9

The UK Is Considering Reclassifying Video Game Loot Boxes as Gambling

Loot boxes have been plaguing video games for years, luring gamers into spending money on random digital prizes. However, for gamers in the U.K., this practice could take a hit following a new investigation that could reclassify loot boxes in video games as gambling. As an example of how influential loot boxes have become, in…

Games Sam Rutherford Jun 8

The Next Star Wars VR Game Will Take You to Galaxy’s Edge

Don’t wanna risk any of that “severe illness and death” Mickey keeps warning you about as his parks begin to re-open? Well, good news/bad news: the good news is you’ll be able to visit an approximation of Disney’s Star Wars land later this year. The bad-ish news is it’ll still cost you a pretty penny,…

Games James Whitbrook May 28

Travel to the Golden Age of The Witcher and See Pandemic’s Newest Legacy in Gaming News

Nintendo Needs to Bring These Apps to Animal Crossing’s Nook Phone Right Now

The Creators of Pokémon Go Are Now Working on a Settlers of Catan AR Game

This Doctor Who Sliding Puzzle Game Is Driving Me Insane and I Can’t Stop Playing It

Documents Leak Teasing a Cheaper Xbox Series X

Pokémon Sword and Shield’s New Isle of Armor Expansion Is a Breath of Fresh Air

Before You Risk Yourself for Tenet, Christopher Nolan Would Love It If You Watched Inception in Fortnite

The Last of Us Part II Is a Painful, Beautiful, Emotional Roller Coaster

Hell Yeah, We’re Beating Up MODOK in the Avengers Game

Padmé Joins Star Wars: Legion, Roll20 Makes Its Own RPG, and More in Gaming News

How R.A. Salvatore Helped Bring Icewind Dale to Games Again for Dark Alliance

Rap Godz Co-Creator Shares Why He Made One of the Industry’s Only Hip Hop Board Games

Dungeons & Dragons Team Announces New Plans to Address Race and Inclusivity in the Game

Inside Dungeons & Dragons‘ Chilling New Adventure, Rime of the Frostmaiden

The Wonderful 101‘s Enduring Superpower Is Its Focus on Teamwork and Community

The Next Star Wars Game Lets You Take Flight for the Rebellion and Empire

Miles Morales Stars in a New Spider-Man Game Coming to PS5 This Year [Updated]

Game Companies Address Black Lives Matter, The Shining Gets an Escape Room, and More in Gaming News

The UK Is Considering Reclassifying Video Game Loot Boxes as Gambling

The Next Star Wars VR Game Will Take You to Galaxy’s Edge

Jamie Dornan Is Your New Aragorn in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

Trump’s Fed Pick Is Knee Deep in Tech and Crypto Investments

The First Trailer for ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Takes Terror Stateside

The Trump Phone Still Looks Like Total Trash

‘Masters of the Universe’ Really, Really Wants to Be the Next ‘Barbie’

Samsung’s Micro RGB TVs Provide So Much Color It May Be Too Much

The Crypto Bros Want to Get Their Hands on Anthropic’s ‘Super Dangerous’ Model

This Is What a Music Industry ‘Plant’ Looks Like in 2026

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

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