Each level grants a purple gem/swirly-thing and these are used to buy equipment abilities. Once committed there's no taking the gems back until trashing the item, at which point they're refunded in full. Level one is one gem, two is usually two gems, etc, but there are also rare powerful abilities that get more expensive. I held on to the Harp Bow longer than practical thanks to it not only shooting five arrows per shot but also having a chance of an arrow dividing into another five on hit, despite how expensive it was to power up. That kind of crowd control is worth saving up for, after all, but there's always going to be more loot later that will finally make swapping out an irresistible prospect.

Ideally it's the optimal situation for consumers. You buy a system, and you have access to almost every major game, with as few exceptions as possible. To me though, it's a sad thought, as I sometimes long for a time when there were an assortment of games I couldn't play because I could only afford one system. When that one guy in the neighborhood who bought the Xbox would show us all "Halo" and have us regret our PS2 decision (if only for a moment), or when N64 owners could stretch arguments with their Playstation rivals on into the morning by just dropping the name "Goldeneye" every now and then.

It's easy sometimes to get caught up in popular opinion, even if it isn't necessarily true. For instance, there is the growing belief that the only multiplayer games anyone is interested in making anymore are shooters. While it's true that many of the most readily available and popular multiplayer games are shooters, developers of this generation, perhaps more than any other, have really gone out of its way to create multiplayer games that don't rely on shooting your friends in the face just to be entertaining. It's time that those games got their well deserved attention.

This indie title is a roguelike game that features procedurally generated dungeon levels by using map seeds, which can also be shared with other players so they can attempt the same dungeon layout. The game offers single-player and multiplayer and also has permadeath that can pose a challenge for many play

Minecraft building Ideas Dungeons and Torchlight do somewhat render Fate obsolete, in the sense that they are more modern action RPGs that scratch the same itch; however, the 2005 release and its sequels are nevertheless charming and worth seeking out. They are also quite cheap on Steam, so they do not require much of an investm

Released in mid-2020, Grounded is one of the most original survival games on the market and, for those old enough to remember it, will likely invoke fond memories of the classic eighties comedy, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids . That's because the plot is somewhat similar, with players taking on the roles of young children who have been shrunk down to the size of a

The lack of plot means the action needs to carry the game, which Minecraft Dungeons nicely pulls off. It's a fairly stripped-down entry in the genre, with no character classes or specializations, but instead focuses on character customization through loot. At the start you choose a character skin, none of which have any advantage or disadvantage over another, and then through the course of the adventure find gear to fit your play style. There are six slots to fill, three of which are for action accessories assigned to the controller face buttons and the others being the equipment of weapon, armor and ranged, and while it's tempting to go for straight power over anything else, it's better to find things that suit your play style.

I love Nintendo, but its tough to watch something or someone you love go through such a rough time and seemingly stop bothering to even try anymore. Eventually that sympathy is going to turn into anger, and for many that's exactly what is happening.

Scoffing at motion controls is the well deserved cynical right of any long time gamer. However, for as maligned as the whole idea eventually became, during the glorious, shining moment you first played Wii Sports with friends, it seemed on track to become the inevitable future. Wii Sports was nothing short of pick up and play perfection, with appeal that goes from curiosity to party game phenomenon the moment you actually try it. It used the innovation of motion controls to tap into a primal level of game enjoyment that many of us though we'd abandoned with experience and maturity years ago.

They're unwilling to go out of their way to adapt major third party releases. They are painfully slow to adopt an indie market that could actually make good use of the Wii U's unique capabilities. They seem, at times, to be woefully oblivious to the current state of the game industry, and determined to turn the Wii U into a time machine that will make it 1987 again. They seemingly have a hero complex that drives them to be the only ones who make a game that turns it all around.

The age of system mascots and Triple A exclusives may be a fading memory, but it's really no matter, because the one we are about to enter where innovative new ideas and bold risks are rewarded, encouraged, and prized above all may just be the most exciting time ever to be a gamer. All the hype on which system you should buy may be focused on what a system costs, or what it can and can't do in its multimedia capabilities, but trust me when I say that in the end, you'll be keeping an eye on who's got what indie titles all to themselves when deciding which console is right for you.