There are many clear parallels in theLord of the Ringsbetween the characters ofGollum and Frodo. In many ways, they represent two sides of the same coin. Their paths, or ultimately their downfalls, both start with them coming into possession of the One Ring, and then carrying it as an increasingly heavy burden across an extended period of time. However, the choices that they make, and the ways in which they interact with others ultimately leads them to two very different outcomes....

Video game movies come in all kinds of flavors and the genre has been looking for a magic recipe for success sinceSuper Mario Bros.,Mortal Kombat,andStreet Fighter’sfirst attempts in the early 90s. With very mixed results over the past 30 years, the game to cinema approach has gone through several reinventions, and as the excitingMortal Kombatmovie reboot premiere date draws closer it’s worth looking at which of these mistakes the newer take risks making....

Nintendo has no shortage of successful franchises. If recent months have taught the gaming industry anything, it’s thatSuper Mariois still very much Nintendo’s most bankable IP, with both theSuper Mario Bros. Movieand Universal’s Mario-dominated Super Nintendo Worldbringing in the big bucks. ButMariois far from Nintendo’s only successful IP, and two of them,Super Smash Bros.andAnimal Crossing, are currently in the same boat, facing a similar dilemma. Released back in December 2018,Super Smash Bros....

After a brief stint in the fantasy genre withTotal War: Warhammer 3, theTotal Warfranchise is set to return to history later this year. Instead of going for one of the many periods the franchise has already explored, Creative Assembly is taking a trip to a brand-new period withTotal War: Pharaoh. The game will whisk players away tothe Bronze Age of Egyptfor a high-stakes adventure that onlyTotal Warcan deliver, and it looks great so far...

Summary AValheimplayer has created an impressive castle that has nearly everything a Viking would need in one place. Since the game was released,Valheimfans have created impressive monuments and unique bases, but this castle is a combination of both. Iron Gate Studio continues to evolve on the foundations ofValheimas the community anticipates a full release. Despite being in early access,Valheimhas set impressive player countsand still has a thriving audience. As players advance from one biome to the next, they unlock access to more materials for their weapons, armor, and builds....

Summary Nearly four years ago,Vinland Saga’s first seasonintroduces the story of Thorfinn and his grudge against Askeladd, the leader of a band of mercenary Vikings. The story, on the surface, is quite simple, with the main protagonist (Thorfinn) swearing vengeance against the story’s antagonist (Askeladd) for killing his father. Thorfinn finds himself in a juxtaposition as he understands that to claim his revenge, he must work alongside Askeladd. A six-year-old boy with no battle experience takes to the seas with Vikings for the next ten years, learning their ways of war and gaining the ability to kill, all while doing this under the rule of his father’s murderer....

Call of Duty: Warzonefans rarely stay silent, as the game’s community is vocal about the good and bad of the massively popular battle royale game. Recently, severalCall of Duty: Warzonefans praised the new update, while an equal number of gamers voiced their disappointment about Verdansk 84 not being entirely new. Through all the positive and negative discussion around the game, though, one point has been agreed upon by everyone: console players need an FOV slider....

Summary The post-launch content updates thatMinecraftoften receives are the lifeblood of the sandbox title, providing a fresh wave of experiences for fans to explore and enjoy. While the content of these updates usually follows a shared theme, they are sometimes shaken-up with an annual Mob Vote that lets the community decide which single new mob out of three choices gets to be added to the game. The Mob Votes ofMinecraftwere once seen as a fantastic way to give the community a leading voice in what content is added to the game, but in recent years this sentiment has turned sour....

A slew of new Isekai seasonal anime has launchedthis winter of 2023, making this a very exciting moment for anime enthusiasts. An isekai episode often follows a protagonist who has been magically transferred to a fantastical world. Characters like this frequently enter fantastical situations full of enchantment and excitement. RELATED:Best Winter 2023 Anime & Where To Watch Every Series Often, protagonists in these stories must adjust to a brand-new world while also overcoming the difficulties and tensions that come with it....

Having alts inWorld of Warcraftis practically an assumed affair, as the game encourages players to give other classes a try – and with the launch ofDragonflight, getting one’s alt up to speed will be faster than ever.World of Warcrafthas not always been friendly to alts, and as the game’s nine expansion packs came and went, so did all sorts of catch-up mechanics for these secondary characters. As fun as Timeless Isle might have been inMists of Pandaria, modernWorld of Warcraftplayersneed to worry about more than just their loot....

Kingdom Heartsstarted as one of the greatest (and most bizarre) crossovers of all time, bringing both Disney and Square Enix franchises together. At first, the onlycharacters that belong to Square Enixwere from theFinal Fantasygames, such as Cloud, Cid, and Squall. However, 2012’sDream Drop Distanceadded the characters fromThe World Ends With Youand 2019’sKingdom Hearts IIIincluded Schwarzgeist fromEinhanderas a boss. RELATED:Every Square Enix Game Coming Out In 2021 Because of this, Square Enix fans have been wondering what characters could be introduced in upcominggames of the series, with some even hoping to see more of them and less Disney properties in the next title....

It seems thatActivision Blizzardhas been in the news more often for controversies as of late, whether it’s due to treatment of its workers or problems with its video games. Those two things have compounded as reports from Activision employees claim that the company brass has failed to meet with itsQA Testersthat went on strike. Activisionemployees spoke in anonymity with Inverse about the lack of communication with its striking Raven Software QA Testers....

Ever sinceGod of Warreleased on PC, gamers have gone out of their way to swap out the game’s character models with figures from other franchises. Some are goofy, likeKratos and Atreus being swapped with Homer and Bart Simpson, though others are cooler. A recentPirates of the Caribbeanmod leans more toward the latter category, and it sees Jack Sparrow doing battle with Davy Jones. This format should be very familiar to those that have kept up with theGod of Warmod scene, as players have already made characters clash using the Stranger boss battle....