As the massively anticipated release of Starfield finally nears, Xbox head Phil Spencer has swooped in to offer some perspective on what players can expect from the game. Comparing it to Bethesda Game Studios’ other works, he notes that the game is closer to The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion than its follow-up entry, The Elder Scrolls IV: Skyrim.

“So I think I’m on my 15th playthrough,” Spencer started. “I start, we change save game formats, blah blah blah, all that stuff. So I started in November, but I’m playing — I think — my final character playthrough. Total space pirate. I’m a total space pirate. I think it’s more Oblivion than Skyrim — for people who’ve played, maybe they’ll get that. It is an epic, epic game.”

Ahh, the Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES, for short). The console that changed the course of gaming history and brought the US gaming market back from the brink of extinction. It established Nintendo as a household name and introduced players to some of the most iconic franchises and titles the medium has ever seen.

What it also did was have a lot of rare games. Owing to its age and the fact that the landscape of gaming was vastly different back in the 1980s, finding affordable copies of these games is going to be incredibly hard (if you can find the games at all since many have probably been lost to the sands of time). Here are 10 of the rarest and most expensive NES games that might also require your arm and your leg if you want to purchase them.

Video game remasters are no rarity these days. They come along seemingly every other week, filling the void between bigger releases while reminding us of the “good ol’ days” everyone always clings to. In many instances, though, these “remasters” are lazy, half-hearted attempts to string a bit more cash out of a property while barely satiating the desires of fans who have wanted legacy games to be more readily available for years. This, however, is no such example.

Just under two years after Bethesda announced and subsequently shadow-dropped a remaster of the first Quake game at their QuakeCon event, the publisher has done it again, but this time with Quake II. It was inevitable that this would happen — especially given numerous leaks and ratings boards mentioning the game — but it’s nice to see it finally receive an official announcement. It was already wonderful to see the amount of love that went into the first Quake remaster, and once again, Nightdive Studios has gone above and beyond with this Quake II re-release. So much so, in fact, that the industry should be taking some notes.

Dead by Daylight has seen its fair share of collaborations with established horror franchises, and developer Behaviour Interactive has finally announced its newest one. After a previous tease, it was announced today that Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror film series, Alien, would be the next established franchise to cross over with Dead by Daylight.

Fittingly titled Dead by Daylight: Alien, this next expansion’s announcement came alongside a CGI trailer giving players an idea of what they can expect to see when the new content drops. As you’d probably guess, Ellen Ripley serves as the lone new survivor, while the iconic Xenomorph will be the new killer as players get to explore the Nostromo spaceship.

It’s Monday. Life is overwhelming. Every day feels the same as the last, and you find yourself floating along on the wave of life, barely able to thrive because all you’re focused on is trying to survive. Desperately, you could use any kind of pick-me-up; anything to boost your mood and distract you from the existential dread you find yourself faced with on a regular basis.

Sometimes, a good laugh is what you need when the stress of Monday has kicked you to the ground so hard that your only other option is a 30-minute cry in the shower. So let’s do that, and turn some of those tears into cheers. Here are 10 video game memes that hopefully make your Monday a little brighter:

One of the highest-selling video game systems of all time, the Nintendo Wii revolutionized motion-controlled gaming for a mainstream audience. It was also home to some generation-defining titles that still stand tall among the greatest in Nintendo’s storied history.

Between all of these comes titles that are still massively hard to find. If you’re a stickler for an authentic experience and want the original versions of some of these games, you’re gonna have to shell out quite a bit of money to get them. Here are 12 of the rarest and most valuable Wii games that’ll cost you a pretty penny to get.

Nintendo’s first jump into the world of 3D gaming, the Nintendo 64 had its share of issues in the transition. Nevertheless, it was home to some of the most revolutionary games of all time, like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which changed the way we think about gaming.

What it also has is a fine share of some extremely rare and expensive titles. Even more so than the rarest games on other Nintendo platforms, acquiring copies of these games in any capacity — new or used — will take a massive amount of funds out of your wallet. Here are 12 of the rarest and most expensive Nintendo 64 games that will set you back a few bucks to get.

DOOM is one of the most iconic and long-running first-person shooter franchises of all time. The brainchild of iconic FPS developer id Software, DOOM took the essence of id’s previous franchise, Wolfenstein, and pushed it even further, serving as one of the most important titles in gaming history. Not only did this lead to a massive, lucrative franchise, but the series has continued to grow and enthrall audiences with successive titles.

Incredibly, the franchise is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary this December. It’s amazing to see it’s lasted this long and, through all the ups and downs, remained one of gaming’s most venerable shooter franchises. Let’s take a look at DOOM’s biggest titles and rank them from worst to best.

2023 has been a phenomenal year for video games. It feels like exciting releases have been aplenty this year, with fantastic new games at almost every corner. Thanks to titles like the Resident Evil 4 Remake, Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, Diablo IV, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, gamers have been treated like royalty across the first six months of the year.

But would you believe it if you were told that a year like 2023 could get even bigger? The second half of the year feels just as loaded (if not even more so) than what the first half offered up, and there’s gonna be plenty to put your money toward as we approach the Holiday season. Here are 12 upcoming games that we’re heavily anticipating across the rest of 2023.

Since the release of Titanfall 2 in 2016, fans have long clamored for a new mainline entry in the franchise. While Apex Legends has filled the gap as a new title within the same universe, fan demand for a proper Titanfall 3 has not quieted down. It appears one designer on the Titanfall series has offered some heartbreaking news regarding this highly requested sequel.

Mohammed Alavi, a former developer at Respawn, sat down for a video interview with YouTube channel THE BURNETTWORK, where the topic of canceled projects came up in discussion. Among the many things they discussed was Titanfall 3, which was apparently in development for nearly a year before Respawn pulled the plug.

Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield has been by far Xbox’s most hyped upcoming first-party title, and excitement has started to reach a fever pitch as its long-awaited release on Sept. 6 finally draws near. That excitement has been so strong that Microsoft, who has naturally given top billing to Bethesda’s first new IP in over 25 years, is prepping some tie-in merchandise.

Ahead of the combined Xbox Games Showcase + Starfield Direct on June 11, the presence of a limited edition Starfield Xbox controller has been leaked heavily by numerous sources. While initially presumed to be fake, images of this controller have begun making the rounds all over social media. Notably, Reddit user Krunkburrito has taken to the Starfield subreddit to post some close-up images of this slick new controller: 

Have you ever wondered where in the world Sam Fisher is? It’s been a decade since the last Splinter Cell game, and the patience of fans is reasonably wearing thin. Where in the world is he? Well, playing with his new Apple Vision Pro, it seems.

Apple’s recent announcement of the VR/AR-mixed headset has obviously set off a wave of memes. From its unique goggle-like design to its massive price ($3,500, are you kidding?!), social media has been ripe with unique reactions. It appears video game companies are getting in on the fun too, as Ubisoft’s UK Twitter page tweeted their own image of Splinter Cell star Sam Fisher wearing an Apple Vision Pro over his typical goggles:

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom took a long time to arrive, but the wait is finally over. Gamers can finally return to the land of Hyrule in what may be the franchise’s largest entry yet. It’s sure to be one of the year’s biggest games, and it may even have several Game of the Year awards already locked up.

What it also has, of course, is memes. No piece of media is safe from the Internet’s memetic ways, and with how popular the Zelda franchise is, it’s sure to rack up more than a few goofs and jests from online users. These are just 10 of the funniest Tears of the Kingdom memes we could find.

The PlayStation Vita was an… interesting system, to say the least. Essentially a PlayStation 3 on the go, the handheld device was part of Sony’s master plan to misread the market and believe that handheld titles need to be on the level of high-budget AAA console games. As a result, it turned out to be one of PlayStation’s biggest commercial failures, and it now lives firmly in the “what could’ve been” boat.

It was a funny little system, though, and these days, a lot of its appeal comes from the rediscovery of the platform’s forgotten titles. One Twitter user, @hvg_core, reminded the world of one of the Vita’s strangest games; they brought us back to 2014 and the world of PlayStation Vita Pets.

It’s amazing to think that Dead Island 2 is finally upon us. Having been announced in 2014, it’s changed hands three separate times but publisher Deep Silver never gave up on the game. Even though it was starting to look like a proper release would never happen, it’s finally here and has managed to escape from the depths of “development hell”. Regardless of the quality of the final release, Deep Silver and Dambuster Studios deserve commendation for seeing it through to the finish line with this project.

Many games simply never get to that finish line. Some linger in development hell, only being brought up rarely in conversations as some kind of myth or urban legend of gaming. It’s always a joy to see games escape from this, though, even if the final product isn’t everything it could’ve been. Here are 10 games that we would like to see follow in Dead Island 2’s footsteps and push past development hell.

The Steam Spring Sale is upon us. It’s the perfect time for gamers to grab some titles that have been sitting in their backlogs for hot low prices. There are plenty of games to pick from in this sale, and with it only lasting until March 23, it may be tough to find the best games.

Thankfully for you, we’re here to help. We’ve compiled a list of some of the biggest and best available titles in the sale that are worth your time and money. With so many offerings, we’re sure we missed a few. You can let us know what you grabbed in the comments below. Now, here are just ten of the best available games worth picking up from the Steam Spring Sale.

One of the most unique franchises in Sony’s classic lineage is Sly Cooper. A platformer from the team at Sucker Punch Productions, this game also incorporated stealth elements for what was a very fresh spin on a tried-and-true genre. While Sly Cooper has always played more to a niche than other PlayStation games, it did well enough to spawn a series that included four games.

That said, the thieving raccoon and his friends have been in stealth mode for quite some time now. The last entry in the franchise, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, meaning we haven’t received a new title in a decade. The series retains a passionate following (this writer included), and many still clamor for a return to the world of Sly Cooper. Let’s look through what’s been going on with Sly and friends in the time since.

The increasing prominence of social media has turned gaming into a true word-of-mouth medium. Where games have often relied on having support systems in place of fans who enjoyed a series/developer’s previous projects, titles of all kinds can blow up at any second with a passionate social media presence. Nowhere is this more prominent than in the world of game streaming.

Video game streamers, through the sheer strength of their personality, can spark a game to become a trend simply by playing it and showing the fun that can be had with it. And it doesn’t matter whether the game in question came out yesterday, or has been played for over 30 years; if it can appear enticing enough, gamers will jump at the opportunity to try it out themselves. These are just 10 of the many games that saw a jump in popularity thanks to streamers.

Another one bites the dust in a year of live-service shutdowns. Smilegate’s CrossfireX, a game released a little less than a year ago, will end all support by the middle of May and will become little more than a figment of our imaginations.

As of right now, any sales on the Xbox Store have been halted, and no further content will be added to the game. Anyone who made any purchases within the last 14 days (as of Feb. 3) will be eligible to have them refunded, and the servers will go offline on May 18.

UPDATE 02/03/23: Microsoft has told IGN that yesterday’s announcement that the Xbox 360 Marketplace would close later this year was posted in error. A spokesperson said:

“This message was posted in error and we can confirm the Xbox 360 marketplace will not close in May 2023. As a reminder, beginning on February 7, 2023, a limited set of games, add-ons, and in-game content will no longer be purchasable in select markets via the Xbox 360 Store.”