Books have a reputation for being stuffy and restrictive, but their stories’ adaptations can prove to be phenomenal video games. This is especially true considering the recent reveal of Dune: Awakening, based on Frank Herbert’s Dune novels. That got us thinking – which books do we want adapted into video games?

Books and Video Games?

Some of gaming’s biggest names can trace their existence back to books. The battle royale genre – what about the 1999 novel which gave it its name? How many games have author Tom Clancy’s name plastered on them? Come on, in 2010 Electronic Arts even adapted the 14th-century narrative poem The Divine Comedy into a hack-and-slash!

Starfield boasts a charming feature: your trusty robotic companion, Vasco, can greet you by name. Fallout 4 players would remember Codsworth’s feature of remembering and pronouncing a player’s name. It’s a personal touch that adds immersion, especially after a long day of exploring the vast reaches of space.

But here’s the catch: Vasco, bless his metallic heart, isn’t exactly Shakespeare when it comes to vocabulary. He can only utter a select few names, a little over 1,000 according to dedicated players like andy24olivera who data-mined the game’s files. This limitation has led to some truly hilarious situations, with players discovering the wonderful (and sometimes frustrating) world of Vasco-approved names.

While the interactive drama genre is nothing new, Until Dawn is arguably one of the most famous of them all. The game shot developer Supermassive Games to the top of the industry. Since its release, the company has released five other interactive horror games, with two more on the way. Until Dawn is getting a remake later this year, as well as a movie adaptation, but the recent casting announcement specified “new characters”. What does this mean for the Until Dawn movie?

A Straight Adaptation?

Until Dawn follows a group of eight students who come under attack from horrific forces while staying in a secluded mansion over the weekend. Over the course of the game, players will make decisions that determine which of the students will make it through the night, and which will die gruesomely.

Nintendo shocked us with the Switch’s launch in 2017, but the hybrid design of the console has, in its wake, left behind Nintendo’s profitable handheld hardware. While the hybrid model has been hugely successful, Nintendo has traded this at great cost. By committing to the hybrid hardware factor, Nintendo is now unable to diversify and could ‘go down with the ship’ should they fail.

The Switch Lite is a tremendous system, however the existence of the hybrid model of Switch detracts from its appeal. In our Switch Lite review, we state how one of the biggest detractors of the handheld is purely the simple existence of its hybrid ‘big brother’:

Portable gaming is the new battleground for game companies to hash it out, and there has never been a better time for an Xbox handheld to enter the fray. With the gargantuan success of the Switch, Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and an overwhelming slew of other handheld gaming PCs, we reckon it’s high time Microsoft threw its hat in the ring.

Xbox is Still Ticking

Riding off the coattails of one of Xbox’s strongest-ever games Showcases in recent memory, things have perked up a little for Microsoft’s gaming division. It’s a good thing too, as plenty of recent stumbles and mishaps have more than soured many fans’ outlook on the Xbox brand.

When you think of Xbox exclusives, there are only so many you can list before getting to Halo. It’s been one of Xbox’s flagships for over 20 years, but what if that were about to change? With rumors circulating that Halo: Combat Evolved could be coming to PlayStation, what might this mean for the rest of the industry?

There is plenty to consider before reaching a conclusion, but there’s no telling for sure until it happens. Game companies have been particular about their exclusives for as long as there have been different companies, but the landscape has been slowly shifting over the years.

Bungie’s latest expansion has brought with it many new Legendary and Exotic weapons for players to faun over and collect. Today, we’re diving into the 10 best new weapons in Destiny 2 The Final Shape.

Which Final Shape Weapons Are the Best?

If you head over to Light.gg, you’ll see that The Final Shape and Echoes added several dozens of new weapons and more than a few Exotic weapons. Most of these new additions are interesting in design with imaginative perks and origin traits. The same thing can be said of The Final Shape’s new exotic armor. Below, you’ll find 10 of those weapons that we thought stood out the most during our time with Destiny 2’s latest content.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is the latest Monster Hunter game to be ported to PlayStation after an original PC and Nintendo Switch release. Though it might share the Monster Hunter name, its gameplay structure is markedly different from the mainline series. Because of that, whether you’re a newcomer or a series veteran, it might be hard to decide whether this game is actually for you. Here are our reasons why you should give Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin a shot.

A Nice Introduction to the Monster Hunter World

Monster Hunter Stories 2 serves as a great introduction to what the world of Monster Hunter is like. While it’s wildly different in terms of gameplay, it does allow series newcomers to get an idea of what to expect in the main series.

What would the wasteland be without Ghouls? They are a staple of the Fallout franchise with ever-growing stories and appearances, and next year, you finally get the opportunity to play as one in Fallout 76. While planning your ghoulish counterpart, it’s the perfect time to look back at the best Fallout has had to offer in the way of plots and characterization for our almost faceless friends. Here are our Top 10 Fallout Ghouls.

#10. Gob (Fallout 3)

It seems fitting that one of Fallout’s saddest ghouls lands at number ten. Poor Gob is enslaved and treated like dirt by the town of Megaton and its inhabitants, for something he has no control over. Feeling sorry for ghouls isn’t uncommon, but being greeted by one who radiates (no pun intended) fear without any snark or bravado, that’s quite a different thing. 

All around the world, game developers are becoming more and more concerned with diversity. However, the queer community is often sidelined, despite the industry’s best intentions. Even when a developer makes an effort to showcase queer characters, there are several pitfalls that pop up again and again. The games industry needs to do better: here are five issues with queer representation in gaming.

5. The Male Gaze

Gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry. In fact, it’s worth almost double the film and music industries, combined. This means that we have to consider the issue of how diversity can affect the bottom line.

The Legend of Zelda franchise is one of the most famous in gaming history, with a history spanning almost forty years. Since then we’ve had twenty games, not including spin-offs, remakes, and remasters. With the Switch 2 on the horizon, here’s our list of five Zelda remakes for Switch 2, ranked by likelihood.

#5: The Legend of Zelda

It may be hard to believe, but the game that started it all has never been remade. It’s been re-released, most recently through the NES Classic Collection. A remake would let the game stand alongside the superior games it inspired.

After nearly a year of vocal public outcry, Remedy’s Alan Wake 2 is due to receive physical copies this fall. Especially surrounding events like Summer Game Fest, the full might of the industry is on full display. Yet Remedy’s decision is one in a long line of clear examples that gamers’ voices matter in this industry.

Alan Wake 2’s Digital-Only Outcry

“It Began With a Dream” – Alan Wake 2 Physical Reveal

This year, Sam Lake, Creative Director at Remedy Entertainment, stepped out onto the Summer Game Fest stage with help from a glowing introduction by event organizer Geoff Keighley. For many gamers, this charismatic Finn remains one of the last true icons of the industry and a man who players trust.

Like most great live-service online games, Grand Theft Auto 5 frequently releases updates for GTA Online that alter and add to the overall experience. These updates have brought anything from heists to races to even snow in the wintertime. Here are five things we want to see from GTA Online’s 2024 Summer update.

5. New Summer Cars

Starting with something we already know about, the GTA Online Summer Update should bring a few new fancy cars. Vehicles are the most common additions to GTA Online, with good reason. They’re versatile, fun, and customizable, allowing everyone to interact with them differently. The Rockstar Newswire dives into some of what is to be expected so far.

Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD was announced in the June 2023 Nintendo Direct. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is a remaster of the 3DS game first released in 2013, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. We were lucky enough to get a hands-on preview of this latest addition to the Nintendo Switch catalog: Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD.

Hands-On Preview of Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD on Nintendo Switch

If you never got the chance to play Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Luigi’s Mansion 2 for our international readers!), then you are in for a treat. Now is your chance to see the game in all its spooktacular glory. If you are familiar with the original Luigi’s Mansion sequel, then you may have a clue to the storyline already.

Even with Minecraft and Super Mario in LEGO’s plastic hands, we can’t wait to see more video games turn into sets. With a Legend of Zelda theme and LEGO Horizon Adventures recently announced at Summer Game Fest, LEGO and the world of video games would be crazy to not carry on this momentum. Here are 10 video game franchises we’d love to see as LEGO themes.

1. Metroid

From its 2020 Super Mario Bros. playset, Nintendo has been at the forefront of video game collaboration with LEGO. Following this we’ve seen other Nintendo franchises like Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda be painstakingly recreated in plastic. However, with hopes of a crossover with Fortnite seemingly dashed, why don’t we see Metroid’s Samus Aran transformed into bricks?

While we’re still a good amount of time out from the full release of Black Ops 6, information is slowly trickling out. We still don’t know everything, so this is the perfect period of hopefulness. As series fans, here is everything we want to see in Black Ops 6.

Campaign Co-Op

To date, there have been two games in the Call of Duty series to offer co-op in the campaign: World at War and Black Ops 3. Considering the series’ overall focus on multiplayer, this has never made sense to me. Black Ops 3 was made better because you could enjoy the campaign with multiple friends. Not only was this just a good bit of fun, but it also made dealing with the harder difficulties much easier.

We recently saw the official reveal of the next Life is Strange game. Life is Strange: Double Exposure follows original heroine Max as she solves a murder mystery using her new powers to explore parallel universes. While we love Max, we can’t help but feel like making her the star of another game is an odd choice. Here are five reasons Life is Strange: Double Exposure made the wrong choice bringing back Max.

5. Bringing Max Back Makes The First Game Too Important

To be clear, Max is a wonderful character. Life is Strange is a beautiful game, and it wouldn’t have been the same with anyone else in the lead. However, the decision to bring her back makes her – and by extension, the Arcadia Bay storyline – feel too important.

It’ll soon be time for players to return to the Lands Between. Elden Ring’s upcoming expansion, The Shadow of the Erdtree is releasing later in the month. It will take players to a whole new area, introduce new bosses and NPCs, and add over 100 new weapons. It’s promising to be a mighty big slice of Elden Ring-ey goodness.

But if Shadow of the Erdtree is anything like the base game, it’s probably going to be quite a challenge. FromSoftware has a history of making their DLCs even harder than the original game (cough, Orphan of Kos from Bloodborne’s The Old Hunters expansion, cough). Hence, you’re going to want to make sure you’re prepared. Carry on reading to get ready for when you eventually travel to The Land of Shadow…

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is just around the corner, and FromSoftware has revealed a ton of new information, especially with the release of footage from players who got to try it early. These play sessions have revealed several key components of the new DLC that warrant a ton of excitement. However, they’ve also produced some concerns that could be worrying for the overall quality of the DLC.

Should We Be Worried About Shadow of the Erdtree?

So to start off, I should preface this by saying that Shadow of the Erdtree is a $40 DLC. While FromSoftware is generally much better than its competitors at pricing and maintaining standards, even they are not immune from mistakes and questionable design choices. One of the biggest complaints leveled towards the insanely successful Elden Ring was the repetition of bosses in the base game.

Despite the PS5’s mammoth success, there are still a few things PlayStation should copy from Xbox going forward. This may come as a surprise to those aware of the PS5 outselling Xbox consoles by almost three to one by the end of 2023. This is largely down to PlayStation having far superior first-party titles. Unfortunately for Xbox, their recent studio closures, first-party disappointments, and rumored migration of Game Pass to all hardware has comfortably placed PlayStation in the number one spot.

While it may seem everything is hunky-dory on the surface, there’s still a lot that Xbox does better than PlayStation. Whether it be nifty hardware features that improve the user experience, the far superior Game Pass online subscription service, or myriad other useful features, PlayStation could certainly take a few pages out of Xbox’s book. We go into exactly what we think PlayStation should copy from Xbox below.