As we move closer and closer towards seeing Diablo IV launch in 2023, we’re bound to see several leaks appear over the next few months. It seems the latest ones have Blizzard running around on the internet trying to clear the images and updates from a secret Alpha test. Spoiler alert: you’re about to get some details you may not want to know about just yet.
The first bit of news was from Jason Schreier, a reporter at Bloomberg, heading to Twitter to announce some NDA leaks he discovered. Fortunately, he decided not to mention what the leaks were about, and there were some positive notes about Diablo IV.
Another fun but minor Blizzard tidbit that I haven't seen reported anywhere yet: a bunch of people are playing an early build of Diablo IV right now thanks to a friends-and-family alpha test. Players are under NDA, but I'm hearing mostly positive buzz
However, the actual testers and other fans on Reddit weren’t so kind. One post went all out and shared footage from the character customization section of Diablo IV. Despite many readers commenting that this act goes against NDA rules, the post is still live, and you can see how much detail will go into making an individual character for a class.
Another Reddit post focused more on the Smart Loot system. If you somehow missed out on Diablo III or didn’t take note of it, the Smart Loot system drops equipment and items related to your character’s class. That means you can’t grind levels with a wizard to get items for your future new Necromancer warrior.
While many players are divided on how they feel about this, it seems like it’s making a return in Diablo IV. Some feel they should have the freedom to grind items for other characters, while others love that they can focus on their main class. At least we know that the monetization that appeared in Diablo Immortal won’t appear in Diablo 4, right?
Diablo 4 won’t share the same monetization tactics as Diablo ImmortalREAD MORE
Throw knives and flip guns with some of the games on this list!
When you’re surfing the web or social media, you’re bombarded by dozens of ads for games. Most of these are hardly worth your time. However, some of them look like they might be worth a download!
We sifted through the swamp of bad games and found these five great puzzle games. If you have a few minutes to kill, these can be a lot of fun.
All of these games are free, but they do have a paid version if you don’t want to see ads. However, the ads aren’t that frequent in comparison to other free mobile games.
Best free offline mobile games to play on a long plane ride
Top 5 free puzzle game apps that are worth your time
Slices
Slices isn’t worst game on this list, but it is still very addictive. Basically, you have a pie that’s cut into six pieces. You have to make pies out of different pieces, but you only have six tins. Also, slices come in different shapes, and you can’t put the same shape into the same tin.
This will keep you entertaining, and also make you a little hungry.
The reason it ranks so low is because there are instances when you’ll do everything right, but you’ll lose anyway. In the rest of these games, if you are quick enough, and plan ahead, you can keep playing. Slices doesn’t always play that way.
There is an option to pay for a “save” so you don’t lose a round, or you can sometimes watch an ad to get saved. We’d recommend toughing it out, and starting it over since there’s no guarantee that you won’t lose within the next few slices anyway.
Jelly Shift is basically that old game show “Hole in the Wall,” but without the human suffering.
You control a wad of jelly as it travels through an obstacle course. You have to resize yourself in order to clear various hurdles.
Where the game is really fun is the unlockables. Over time, you’ll unlock different skins for your jelly including ones that make it look like an animal.
After a while, this game can get kind of boring as most of the levels just feel like more of the same. However, if you have 10 minutes to kill, this can be a lot of fun.
Oh man, time flies when you’re playing Helix Jump!
In the game, you control a bouncing ball as it makes its way down a twisty tower. On each level of the tower there is a patch of area that will cause you to lose. Your goal is to reach the bottom of the tower without hitting any of those patches.
As you progress, the towers get bigger and bigger and get more and more challenging. However, you have a secret weapon. If you build up some momentum and pass through multiple layers without touching the ground, you can become invincible and bust through a layer.
Helix Jump is a lot of fun; just make sure you don’t spend more time playing than you intended.
This is one of the most non-conventional shooting games that you’ll ever find.
In FlipTheGun, you control a gun that propels through the air by firing. You lose if you run out of ammo or if you fall to your demise. you can collect ammo by hitting the lime-green bullets in the air. You can also collect coins which you can use to buy other guns.
Other guns include shotguns, rifles, snipers, lasers, freeze-rays, squirt guns, and even money-cannons. A lot of the fun in this game comes from collecting the different guns to determine which is the best one for you.
Knife Hit has a dumb name, but it’s an awesome concept. You act like an assassin as you throw knives at a target, trying not to clink off other knives. This one will make you feel like John Wick.
Like FlipTheGun, you can collect different types of knives. However, you have an insane amount of knives you can collect in this game. There are currently 136 knives you can unlock, and that doesn’t include the 40+ you can buy if you really want them. Also, the game is always updating to include new knives.
The game even has boss fights! You can face off against bosses, and if you win, you get a cool new knife!
Games are hard. That’s the not-so-secret reason a YouTube channel like LetsPlay has 3 million subscribers, or why Fortnite tournament champions can bring home millions of dollars. Sure some games are easier than others, but you can usually tell the difference between a novice and a veteran gamer no matter what title they boot up or what controller is in their hands.
Even if you can win every Fortnite match, dominate the Mortal Kombat leaderboards, or build Minecraft castles in the sky, you still might not be the greatest when it comes to beating Riddler in Arkham Knight, winning races in Forza, or leading a nation in Civilization 6. Gaming has grown into a huge umbrella, and it covers a lot of ground. No matter what game you pick up, though, there are some universal tips that will always start you off on the right foot. Here’s our list:
1. Save often, use different slots
Mostly gone are the days of classic Sierra-style point-and-click adventure games like Quest for Glory or Gabriel Knight. You know, games that punish the crap out of you for forgetting to save your progress. Most games use auto-saves or checkpoints nowadays, but take it from a guy who grew up with the classics: If there’s an option to manual save, do it often. It can save you hours of having to replay the same territory.
Use multiple save slots to set up a safety net
Saving in different slots is also smart. You may make a decision that you regret, like overspending your resources, killing a character, entering a place before you were ready, choosing a poor team for the job – the list goes on. We recommend having at least three saves that you go between. That way you have a safety net in case you royally screw something up.
2. Everything is rock, paper, scissors
Rock, paper, scissors is the most basic game of all time (besides maybe Pong) and yet it permeates everything. Hilariously enough, it’s usually even praised for making games complex. The idea is that for everything there is a counter. We can’t stress how important it is to take that into consideration no matter what game you’re playing. It’s the foundation for RTS titles like Total War or Battle for Middle Earth (spearmen –> horses –> archers –> swordsmen –> spearmen), but rock-paper-scissors can apply to practically any genre.
Total War: Three Kingdoms – Complete beginner’s guide
Look at fighting games (who’s the best match for Braniac in Injustice 2?), RPGs (when should you use ice spells instead of fire in Skyrim?), and even shooters (when will an SMG beat a shotgun?). If you find that your usual tactic, your favorite character, or your best weapon isn’t getting the job done like you expected, it’s time to consider a new tactic.
3. Read the manual
We know what you’re thinking. ‘I don’t need to read a manual! That’s for wimps!’ Well then it’s time for a personal story: One of the first games I ever played was Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. In the sixth level (ugh, I still remember every detail of this game) there’s a room with a bridge that has to be manually extended in order to progress through the room. The catch is that the extension controls are quite far from the bridge itself, and the bridge doesn’t stay extended long. Bottom line: You have to run across the bridge really quickly before it pulls back in again. It went something like this:
I was stuck at this part of the game for seven months because I kept trying to walk across it as fast as possible. Because I didn’t know there was a ‘run’ button. Call me dumb, but since this was one of my first games I didn’t know that was standard practice. If I’d read the manual I would have known this right off the bat and saved myself monthsof frustration. It pays to know the tools in your toolkit. Read the manual. Don’t be like me.
4. Hotkeys are your friends
If you’re a console player this tip isn’t quite as important, but for all you PC players looking to up your game this is huge. Any level where you’re on the clock (and we’re not just talking about racing games like Need for Speed. If you’re playing a shooter you need to react quickly.) you need to be able to do a lot of things in a short amount of time. Hotkeys might take some extra memorization, but trust us; it’s worth it. You’ll be able to do so much more, so much faster.
With a bit of practice and the right hotkeys set, you can operate as fast as you can think.
Some games let you set the hotkeys yourself, which means your experience will play as intuitively as you choose. You can even look at a new console game like Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. If you’re having trouble adjusting to the gameplay (like we did) you can change the control scheme right in the Options menu. You can also re-assign powers to different buttons if you don’t think it makes sense where they are. If the controls don’t make sense to you, look to see if you can change them.
If it feels like you’re running into a brick wall, it might be because you are. How could the game designers be so cruel? Why would they make a level unwinnable?? Odds are, that isn’t the case; you’re just not approaching it the right way. Attacking from a different angle can make all the difference. A melee brawl with a tough opponent might spell death, but a sniper shot to the back of the head? Can’t argue with that! Sometimes it’s like Sam Fisher instructs, you’ve got to “re-position and reacquire:”
This doesn’t just go for single-player games either. If another player in an FPS game seems untouchable, try and undermine him. Go at him with strategies he doesn’t expect. Use equipment that your teammates discarded. Get around the obstacles, flank him, and hit him where he least expects you. Be patient and, to quote Napoleon Bonaparte, “never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
6. Everything is min/max
Remember when we said that everything is rock, paper, scissors? That only works if your rock is heavy, your scissors are sharp, and your paper is … uh, it’s not a perfect metaphor. The point is that when you’re trying for an specific build, strategy, or angle in a game you need to push it to its fullest extent. There’s an important balance you need to consider: Do you want to create a loadout or character that’s a jack of all trades? Or would you rather make a specialist who’s unmatched in one category, but vulnerable in another (a la rock, paper, scissors)?
Don’t even TRY an unarmed Skyrim playthrough without investing in this perk.
While it may be tempting to raise the HP of a weak character, or beef up someone who’s not doing much damage, remember that teamwork makes the dream work: Operating as a cohesive unit of properly min/maxed characters ensures that no matter what you go up against, you have a solution for it. In RTS games that means moving units with stacked bonuses. In shooter games that means teammates are covering all the angles in a firefight. In an RPG that means leveling up the right skills and traits.
7. DODGE!
A good player can roll with the hits, but a pro player doesn’t get hit to begin with. In the words of Piccolo, the most valuable skill you can learn is to dodge. This applies to literally every game: When you’re under fire there’s a spot where you’re safe and there’s (usually many) spots where you are decidedly not safe. Dodging in video games is an art, but it’s also a test of patience. Defensive playing can keep you alive long enough to get that coveted weapon in Halo, elude that persistent zombie horde in World War Z or outlast that infuriating Dark Souls boss.
It’s usually clear where to stand and where NOT to stand.
This tip also extends to using cover properly in a game like Mass Effect or Dragon’s Dogma. Silly as it may seem, trees, pillars, and rocks are usually indestructible, so dipping behind them will shield you from mightier aoe attacks and buy you valuable time to heal or plan your next move.
8. Retread old ground, but remember your current objective
Going back to explore old territory might sound boring if you’re itchy to move along in a game’s plot, but it’s often worth doing. Sometimes a place you’re stuck actually is unsolvable unless you go back to investigate earlier ground with a little more scrutiny. This is especially true in puzzle games like The Room or Myst where being observant is half the battle. Maybe there’s a subtle clue you overlooked. In RPGs like Dragon Age backtracking is a good way to save characters who would otherwise have died or complete easier quests, and in shooter games it’s a great way to hone your skills in a controlled environment.
Having trouble winning online Halo matches? Practice in Firefight.
On the flip side of the coin, if you’re stuck at a difficult juncture in a game don’t just endlessly replay easier points. It may not be fun to hammer away on a tough boss in Street Fighter 2 for hours, or sit there stumped trying to beat a difficult stealth section of a game like Shadow Tactics, but we promise – you’ll beat it eventually. You just have to keep grinding away. Never give up, never surrender!
9. Tinker
If a game has a place to tweak your equipment and tools, it’s always worth doing. Whether its smithing your weapons and armor in an RPG like Kingdoms of Amalur or Witcher 3, managing your ISO-8 in Ultimate Alliance 3, upgrading your Mother Base in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain or memorizing those multi-hit juggle combos in Injustice, practice makes perfect and every little bit counts.
If you’re really trying to fine-tune your experience, the same goes for the often-ignored Options menu. Small tweaks here can have a huge impact on your gameplay, like raising your joystick sensitivity. In Call of Duty that will open a ton of doors. Even something as small as changing the reticle color in Apex Legends could make an unexpected difference in your performance. Trial and error might lead to an adjustment you didn’t know you needed.
10. The Internet already did it
Last but probably most obvious: It’s 2019 and “if it exists, it’s on the Internet.” That goes for strategy guides, tips and tricks (like this article!), video walkthroughs, Twitch streaming, and even Facebook groups or companion apps for certain games. If you’re struggling with a point in a game, we swear you’re not the first. Look to the gigantic network of players and you’ll undoubtedly find someone who’s gotten past where you’re stuck.
Hopefully these tips will help you up your gaming skill in whatever franchise you’re currently enjoying, and that you’ll tackle the next milestone with a bigger bag of tricks.
Let us know in the comments below if there are any universal gaming strategies that you’ve used, and stick with Softonic for more gaming tips and tricks!
Follow these tips to level up your team even faster!
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 has been out for less than a month and there are already over 35 characters available. That’s a lot of spandex and emotes to keep track of, especially if you’re trying to keep your whole cast around the same level. That’s not even getting into the upcoming DLC (the first of which drops August 30 and will be adding X-Men Colossus and Cyclops) and Season Pass which will include three more packs of characters.
How to unlock every character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3
MUA 3 might be as grueling or gritty as Dark Souls or the Witcher, but it’s still designed by Team Ninja, a company infamous for making challenging games. This one is no exception, and a team of low-level characters, no matter how well-balanced they are, can still get pummeled in later chapters or higher difficulties. Keeping your team at a respectable level is the easiest way to get through unscathed, so we’ve put together six tips to do just that. First, however, it’s time to answer an age-old question:
Is it better to stick with one team, or play as everybody equally?
The adventure kicks off with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and if they’re your favorite Marvel crew, you may be wondering why you’d ever want to switch to anybody else. Or maybe you found a team of high-level characters later in your playthrough and you’ve formed a super-team that’s way more adept at handling baddies than your sadly under-leveled starter teams. Have they seen the last of their useful days?
Psylocke comes in around mid-game. Use her and Nightcrawler to boost up your low-level characters!
Of course not! Variety is the spice of life, and swapping teammates in and out is what this game series is all about. It’s not just for the sake of keeping the game fresh, either; certain characters (and character combinations) provide you with very different bonuses and perks than others. Depending on what you’re up against you may find your usual team of four is struggling, even if they are a higher level.
In the end, your success is dependent not on how hard your team can hit, but what it is they’re hitting with. If you find you’re not doing enough damage with a team comprised of Hulk, Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, and Elektra it might be time to go for a team that’s less strength-heavy. Try something like Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, Elsa Bloodstone, and Scarlet Witch. You may find that Mastery-based characters (plus the nice 10% Mastery team bonus they get) will make your job way easier.
This team’s got a good blend of Mastery and Strength-based attacks.
Likewise, if you find you’re dying really quickly try and up your Resilience (if you’re up against energy or magic) or Durability (if you’re up against bruisers or bullets). In the end it’s combining damage types and defenses, and stacking them with appropriate bonuses and ISO-8 that makes a formidable team. So how do you level this team up?
1. Play Rift Challenges
The best place to level up is Rift Challenges. They’re tough, they’re grindy, and they can be outright frustrating, but the rewards are well worth it. Don’t be afraid to try Rifts that are a little above your level; it may take you a few tries, but you’ll be rewarded extra XP for taking down opponents with a higher level.
Don’t forget that you’ll only keep your new level if you beat the challenge!
We’ve found the best mission for farming XP is the level 25 Rush challenge in the Psi Rift: You’ll deal (and receive!) extra damage as the timer counts down, which means that as long as you’re good at dodging you’ll be able to clean house even if the bad guys have a ton of health.
2. Use XP cubes
The game rewards you with all those XP cubes for a reason – sometimes a character just falls behind, even if you play as them frequently. If you want a character to join you but they’re just too low-level to fight by your side, you might want to spend a few XP cubes on them to get them on par with the rest of you.
Though it may be tempting to hoard your cubes, it’s better that you don’t; less powerful cubes won’t be as useful once your characters hit higher levels.
Don’t be shy about using cubes on heroes who need it!
That’s another reason we like the aforementioned level 25 Ruch Challenge; each time you complete it you’re rewarded with small XP cubes. So really you’re leveling up characters and gaining cubes to be used on leveling further.
3. Return to old ground
If you’re tired of grinding in the Rifts you might still be able to squeeze a few levels out of the game’s campaign. Boss fights and tough encounters will reward a decent amount of XP, and if you missed a hidden box earlier on you can break it on your return trip for some free XP cubes.
Replaying easier missions but cranking up the game’s general difficulty can also be a good way to fine-tune your comfort level.
If you’re trying to raise your old characters to match the level of your new high-level characters, intuitively you’ll want to avoid playing with your higher-level characters. Otherwise, they’ll stay at too high a level, right?
Wrong!
XP is not distributed evenly between your high and low characters. Instead, it favors teammates at lower levels. The best way to use this to your advantage is to bring a low-level character with a team of two or three high-level characters. Now take that team to higher-level areas and your weaker characters will reap the benefits of the increased XP that harder enemies grant.
5. Max out the blue section of the Alliance Enhancement tree
This tip will take you a little longer, but it’s one of the most efficient ways to globally speed up how fast all of your characters gain levels. The Alliance Enhancement chart can be a bit daunting at first (SO MANY NODES TO CHOOSE!), but the one you’ll want to complete first is the set of blue nodes on the top left.
Fill out the blue section for a permanent +10% XP gain bonus!
When you complete a whole section of the Alliance Enhancement network you’ll gain a global bonus specific to that section. Purchasing all nodes in the blue section will reward a universal +10% XP gain. The earlier you get it, the more it’ll help.
6. Equip XP-boosting ISO-8
Lastly, there are a couple ISO-8 crystals that can help you gain XP quicker. They’re quite rare, but definitely worth farming or looking for if you’re trying to maximize a particular character’s XP gain. Upgrade them and slap two or three on one character and they’ll be cruising in no time.
Enjoy a gift from Odin
The most reliable location to get ISO-8 that boosts XP is in the fifth chapter of Asgard. Progress to this point (or start at this checkpoint via the Chapter Select screen) and break down the door that’s guarded by HYDRA soldiers. Clear out the next room and peek behind the big statue of Odin. This box should contain a rare blue XP crystal. You can check out this more detailed video walkthrough if you’re having trouble finding it.
Finally, the level 61 Wakanda Rush and level 65 Wakanda Wave Rift challenges are excellent places to farm XP once you reach higher levels, as well as gain more rare ISO-8 in general. This rift also has a higher frequency of white crystals, which can boost XP further.
Hopefully, this guide helps you level your characters and create a more balanced team. Let us know in the comments below if you found these strategies helpful, and stick with Softonic for more Ultimate Alliance tips and tricks!
Fight with your favorite superhero! Here’s how to unlock them all.
There’s nothing quite as liberating as running around the X-Mansion as Deadpool, slicing Sentinels to pieces while munching tacos and hurling insults at Juggernaut. Or maybe you’re more of a Sorcerer Supreme who prefers spending time meandering through the mystic miasma of the deadly Dark Dimension. Heck, maybe you want to play as Thanos. It was inevitable.
You heard right: You can play as Thanos in this game.
Regardless of who your favorite Marvel character happens to be, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is at its most fun when you can, y’know, play as that character. With a cast of over 35 characters already available (and a dozen more to drop in coming months via DLC), not everybody is unlocked right off the bat.
Here’s a list of every character in the game, and where/how to unlock them. For simplicity, we’ll just follow the order they appear on the Hero Select screen:
Black Panther: Unlocked in Chapter 8 (Wakanda) at the third SHIELD Access Point, right after the cutscene where Klaw destroys the bridge.
Wasp: Available in Chapter 4 (Avengers Tower) at the third Checkpoint. She helps you clear out a bunch of bots before being available at the SHIELD Access point.
Hawkeye: Available right after defeating the first phase of the Ultron battle. You need to clear out a landing zone for the Quinjet and then he joins your team for the brawl up to Ultimo.
Black Widow: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) right after beating Sandman.
Falcon: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) right after beating Sandman.
Captain America: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) right after beating Sandman.
Iron Man: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) right after beating Sandman.
Thor: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) right after beating Sandman.
Hulk: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) right after beating Sandman.
Daredevil: Available in Chapter 3 (Shadowland) just before you hit Checkpoint 3. He’ll help you navigate a hall filled with traps.
Elektra: Unlocked as a reward for completing the Bad Business challenge in the Gamma Rift.
Unlock Elektra by completing this Rift challenge.
Thanos: Unlocked as a reward for completing The Black Order challenge at the top of the Lambda Rift.
Unlock Thanos by completing this Rift challenge. Best of luck!
Storm: Available in Chapter 8 (Wakanda) after helping her defeat a group of AIM soldiers. She joins you right at the second SHIELD Access Point.
Psylocke: Available in Chapter 5 (Xavier Institute) right after the first fight: Clearing out the front courtyard with Colossus and Cyclops. Nightcrawler joins her.
Wolverine: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) right after beating Sandman.
Scarlet Witch: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) right after beating Sandman.
Rocket/Groot: Available right at the start of the game. They’re on the first team you get.
Star-Lord: Available right at the start of the game. He’s on the first team you get.
Gamora: Available right at the start of the game. She’s on the first team you get.
Drax: Available right at the start of the game. He’s on the first team you get.
Crystal: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) right after beating Sandman.
Luke Cage: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) once you’ve defeated Venom and Electro. He’s right in the next room and you can switch to him at a SHIELD Access point.
Iron Fist: Available in Chapter 3 (Shadowland) just before you reach Checkpoint 2. He’ll help you clear out a bunch of ninjas guarding the main door.
Loki: Unlocked as a reward for completing the ‘defeat Ebony Maw & 4 bosses’ challenge at the top of the Sigma Rift.
Unlock Loki by completing this Rift challenge.
Magneto: Unlocked as a reward for completing the ‘defeat Klaw & 2 bosses’ challenge in the Psi Rift.
Unlock Magneto by completing this Rift challenge.
Nightcrawler: Available in Chapter 5 (Xavier Institute) right after the first fight – clearing out the front courtyard with Colossus and Cyclops. Pyslocke joins him.
Deadpool: Available in Chapter 5 (Xavier Institute) right after facing off against Magneto, Mystique, and Juggernaut behind the mansion. The battle takes you inside where Juggernaut ruins poor Deadpool’s taco night. He joins you in a quest for revenge. (Alternatively, you can unlock Deadpool and his chef outfit earlier by purchasing the Season Pass!)
Venom: Available in Chapter 2 (The Raft) after defeating Electro and him right past Checkpoint 4.
Spider-Gwen: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) after defeating Mysterio. Comes with Miles Morales and Ms. Marvel.
Miles Morales: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) after defeating Mysterio. Comes with Spider-Gwen and Ms. Marvel.
Spider-Man: Spider-Man’s joins your party early on in Chapter 2 (The Raft). He’ll be available via Shield Access Point right after you beat Sandman.
Captain Marvel: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) right after beating Sandman.
Ms. Marvel: Available in Chapter 2 (the Raft) after defeating Mysterio. Comes with Spider-Gwen and Miles Morales.
Doctor Strange: Available in Chapter 6 (Dark Dimension) after defeating him in a (rather difficult!) two-stage boss fight. Talk to him at the SHIELD Access Point after the fight and he joins your team.
Elsa Bloodstone: Available in Chapter 6 (Dark Dimension) after helping her fight off a bunch of Mindless Ones. The second SHIELD Access Point is right after completing this fight.
Ghost Rider: Available in Chapter 6 (Dark Dimension) after helping him defeat a horde of Mindless Ones. He’s hanging out right above the third SHIELD Access Point.
Didn’t see your favorite character in the list? You’ll be happy to hear that Cyclops and Colossus are being added on August 30 as a free update! You don’t even need the Season Pass to get them.
The Season Pass
If that’s still not enough characters for you, there are three upcoming DLC packages (with four characters each) only available through purchasing the game’s Season Pass. The Marvel Knights DLC drops this Fall and will feature Moon Knight, Punisher, Blade, and Morbius.
These guys will be joining the cast just in time for Halloween!
The X-Men DLC will come out later this year and features four more X-Men (separate from Colossus and Cyclops). Team Ninja has not specified which X-Men these will be, but considering they’ve already got character models we’d guess it’s Beast, Juggernaut, Mystique, and a mystery character (Jean Grey?).
They’ve already got character models and attack animations!
Lastly, Team Ninja also announced an upcoming Fantastic 4 DLC that should be landing in 2020. It’ll be a ways from now, but we can’t wait to play as Human Torch, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, and Thing.
Let us know your favorite character in the comments below, and stay tuned with Softonic for more news, strategies, and tips on Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3!
Since Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 hit the shelves last month, we’ve barely seen the sun. It’s been a decade since Ultimate Alliance 2, so we were understandably thrilled when we heard the title was making a comeback, and that Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja was at the helm, and the game was being published by Nintendo.
This time the story kicks off with the Guardians of the Galaxy!
While the game is fairly intuitive (especially if you played the earlier games in the series) there are still a number of things we wished we’d known going in, like the best way to prioritize leveling up characters, manage the complex ISO-8 system, or minimize grinding before tackling the game’s tougher encounters. There are definitely a couple of spikes in difficulty, so we put together a list of 10 tips to help get you started off on the right foot. If you don’t own the game yet, you can buy it here.
1. Adjust the camera and controls
First things first, the game’s an isometric top-down hack n’ slash. You’re going to spend a lot of time trying to keep track of the character you’re currently playing amidst a screen full of enemies, colorful explosions, and walls and objects that the camera likes to get stuck behind. Needless to say, navigation is difficult. Angry Joe explains it best in the vid below (and he explains angrily, so NSFW warning):
If you’re playing couch co-op with your friends you’re going to be fighting over control of the camera often; it’s inevitable (cue Thanos’ “I am inevitable”).
There are two things that can help: If you’re playing the game by yourself you can switch over to “heroic camera,” which keeps closer to the character you’re playing instead of hovering in top-down. The second thing you can do is play the game online, since that allows you and the other players to move further apart before the camera gets confused.
Wait, where’d my character go?
If you’re new to the Nintendo Switch, there might also be a learning curve for using the controls. The Options menu has three different configurations you can cycle between, though, so at the start of the game find the one that feels most intuitive.
2. Use multiple save slots
This is a really general video game tip, but it’s one that bears repeating here: There are five save slots available in Ultimate Alliance 3, and you should be cycling between at least two of them.
“But the game auto-saves, like, all the time,” you might say. This is true, but it might also auto-save after you’ve made a really, really bad decision. Trust us, you don’t want to be stuck with a save where you accidentally deconstructed the wrong ISO-8 crystals or spent your limited resources on the wrong upgrades or characters.
Additional save slots provide you with the opportunity to experiment. Is it worth enhancing this ISO-8 crystal? Will giving Wolverine ALL of our XP cubes really get us through this harder fight? If it wasn’t worth it, this way you’re not 100% committed to risky decisions.
You’ll thank us later.
3. Use synergies. Like, a lot.
Right after the prologue mission, the game teaches you about using synergies, Ultimate Alliance 3’s take on the fusion system introduced in Ultimate Alliance 2. Essentially this involves two characters using their abilities in tandem to enhance the damage, increase the effective radius, and/or reduce the cost of their abilities.
As you unlock more abilities, you character can perform more synergies off of more teammates.
You can activate these abilities in two ways. You either initiate (by performing an ability with ZR instead of R) and the AI joins you, or you can respond to a synergy request by pressing B when the option arises (it’ll cue you in with a flashing button, visual, and a sound effect). Synergies fill up the extreme meter quicker, deal more damage, and stagger larger targets more effectively, so don’t be shy to use them often. Characters can also use synergies to open certain blocked paths or secret doors, so keep your eyes peeled.
Like synergies? Play the game that introduced them!
4. Beating the stagger meter
One of the new features implemented in the series is the stagger meter – that purple bar under a boss or mini-boss’s health meter. You can do damage to the boss even if they aren’t staggered, but you’ll do way more if they are. Take down that purple bar and then hit ’em with the best stuff you’ve got to drop them more efficiently.
You can still hurt bosses even if their stagger meter is full; it’ll just damage them less.
While the most intuitive tactic is to use your synergies or extreme attacks when the meter is down, you might actually be better off using them just before the stagger bar depletes. Some bosses regen their stagger meter really quickly, so in order to maximize damage and hit them before they can escape, trigger these moves just a hair early. Later on in the game, you might also find ISO-8 that does extra damage to this meter, so outfit your team with that in mind.
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While we’re on the topic of beating the stagger meter, nothing does the job quite like a forklift thrown at the bad guy’s head. For whatever reason, thrown objects dish out a ton of damage to enemies, especially to their stagger gauge. If you spot an object you can throw, it’s there for a reason.
6. Time your extreme attacks
Extreme attacks are the strongest move in your character’s bag of tricks, and they can only be done once your attack momentum reaches a peak threshold. It may be tempting to use it right away, but the smart move might be to save it for when you really need it (like that boss fight around the corner).
Ultimate alliance extremes are the most powerful tools in your arsenal
Extreme attacks (even when just one character does it) are usually enough to topple the stagger meters of a crowd of mini-bosses, so don’t spend all four needlessly (unless you’re trying to maximize your damage for a rift challenge or something). Maybe try one or two at a time and see how much damage you can dish out. The only time you’ll really need all four is when you’re up against a tough boss. Then every bit of damage counts.
Lastly, boss fights are often split into multiple stages. If you look carefully at an enemy’s health bar you can see where the partition hits. Don’t perform your extreme attacks if they’re about to bump to the next stage of the fight; all that damage will be wasted.
See the partition in Ronan’s health bar? Wait until phase 2 before you hit him with the best stuff!
7. Manage your team bonuses
Earlier games in the series would put in fun names for specific teams of four (‘bruiser brigade,’ ‘energy corps,’ ‘femmes fatales,’ or ‘classic avengers.’). Ultimate Alliance 3 altered the formula a bit and made it both more flexible and more approachable.
First off, now it only takes two characters with matching affiliations to provide a bonus for your team, and the specific percentage increase it rewards is displayed at the top of the screen.
Second, you can press L to see the affiliations every character has on the hero selection screen. That way you can stack your bonuses more efficiently.
See which heroes are in which teams. Stack your bonuses accordingly.
This opens up two avenues of play: You can either put together a team that’s weak in one area, but stack them with team bonuses to make up the difference; or you can stack one specific bonus really high, providing a really noticeable change to, say, your energy output or your durability. Don’t forget ISO-8 bonuses stack on top of that!
8. Use the Lab
A lot of your team’s success will take place behind the scenes. The Alliance Enhancement network and ISO-8 management are key components towards buffing your characters, negating weaknesses, and even unlocking entirely new facets to your game, like extra revives, faster XP gain, or health regen.
ISO-8 can add wholly new effects to your character
If you’re finding a particular juncture of the story is suddenly way harder than expected, it’s probably time to check out the lab (accessible from a SHIELD point once the feature is unlocked) and pick some upgrades. Once you’ve stretched the first portion of the Alliance Enhancement network out to the edges of the shape, it’ll unlock entire new sections to explore, each one with a focus towards one attribute (strength, mastery, durability, energy, health, and resilience). Max out a section and you’ll unlock a powerful unique bonus.
Every section caps out with a special shared bonus. Decide which ones to prioritize.
9. Manage your ISO-8
ISO-8 is probably the most complex part of this game, so we’ll spare you the nitty gritty details. If that’s what you’re after, check out this in-depth video.
Fundamentally, these are crystals of varying rank and color, and they can be slotted into your characters on the Team menu (accessible via SHIELD access point or even just the base game menu). As you level up you’ll unlock more ISO-8 slots per character, and the fourth slot is unlocked by filling out all of the 100,000-cost ticks in the Alliance Enhancement menu, which will probably take a few playthroughs.
D level ISO-8 is probably better off deconstructed than equipped.
What’s important to know right up front is that you can swap ISO-8 between team members any time you like, so we recommend giving your team a once-over every time you bring out new characters. This also means you can keep swapping them between characters whenever you switch up your squad.
When it comes to deciding which ISO-8 to give to which team member, check out specific strengths and weaknesses on their character screen. Does this character use mostly strength-based attacks? Then give them a purple strength ISO-8 to boost their damage. Does this character have health regen? Then give them a red ISO-8 to synergize with that trait so they passively heal even faster.
Look carefully at a characters’s stats before you decide which ISO-8 is best for them.
Lastly, we recommend deconstructing any ISO-8 below C grade. It takes a LOT of ISO-8 to build a crystal towards any noticeable bonuses, so these weaker crystals are better ground up and fused with crystals that are already powerful.
Keeping your characters at a comfortable level is one of the most challenging aspects of the game, and it can be discouraging when the game hands you a new level 30 character that blows your current team of level 14 characters out the window. There are a few things you can do to keep your team strong enough to tackle the game’s increasingly difficult scenarios.
Infinity Rifts are challenging, but optional
Rifts can be grindy, but there’s no better place to level up your characters, especially in Wave modes. The caveat is that you have to beat the challenge for the rewarded levels to stick, so be sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew. Rifts are also great places to find the second best way to level up quickly – XP cubes.
Complete Infinity Rifts to level up, earn XP cubes, costumes, and even new characters.
XP cubes can be found in scattered boxes throughout the game (usually hidden behind breakable synergy walls or secret panels), but they’re more frequently obtained through rift challenges – especially the harder ones. One trick we found was to take a powerful team (comprised of the higher-level characters the game rewards you with around mid-game) and sending them to complete the harder challenges in the first rift. Then we went back and distributed all the XP cubes to our weaker characters to balance out our team.
We hope these tips help you get a strong start in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. Let us know if there are any other strategies you’ve found, and stick with Softonic for the latest in tactics, guides, and upcoming DLC for the game!
Marvel Munchkin is the card game every superhero fan needs
Words Story is an unusual take on the mobile word game in that it’s part clever word game and part narrative. While the narrative itself isn’t the most compelling, it’s still neat to be given an actual storyline in a free mobile game. The story follows the plight of a crafty but determined prisoner as he attempts to “Shawshank Redemption” his way to freedom.
The game takes place over the course of 200 days of digging, waiting, scheming, and bribing the guards as you dream of sweet freedom beyond the brick walls and steel bars. Get through those 200 days, though, and you’ll reach the liberating embrace of the ocean.
The story spans 200 days in prison, divided into multiple ‘chapters.’
How do you play?
At its core, Words Story is a simple word unscrambling game. Each ‘day’ you’re presented with a new set of letters, the goal is to find the correct word hidden among them. Of course, there will be other words you’ll find that are not the correct one, and should you find them, the game rewards you with extra coins (just click the chest to accept them).
Find extra hidden words and you’ll get to collect extra coins.
Many of the words you’ll unscramble are irrelevant to the plot, such as “hate,” “cat,” “pink,” or “meat.” The game does try to fit in as many related words as possible, so those should be your first guess. These are words like “map,” “beat,” “dig,” “file,” or “bag.” Typically you’ll get a relevant word every two or three ‘days’ of the game, after which you’ll be rewarded a short cutscene and your overall escape progress.
Dig your way closer to freedom – day by day, inch by inch.
When you’re unscrambling words, there will also be a couple of tools to help you. One trick is to deliberately submit a word that’s not correct. Doing so will eliminate any letters you used for that word that are not in the solution. Also pay attention to the color of the letters after you place them: Blue means correct letter in the correct spot, while yellow means right letter, wrong placement.
Find hidden words to earn extra coin and eliminate variables
On the bottom left, there’s also an option to re-scramble the letter pool, which can help if you’re having a hard time visualizing the solution. On the bottom right there’s a bomb, which removes several incorrect letters from the pool immediately. You have unlimited uses for the bomb, but it does have a cooldown you have to wait for.
If you’re trying to get the most coins, you probably won’t be using the bomb much; it just eliminates letters you could otherwise use for extra words.
Remove multiple variables at once with a powerful bomb
How difficult is the game?
While typically word games will grow in difficulty by asking for longer words, Words Story does not do this. All the mystery words in the game typically vary between 3-6 letters, the tough part is that there are so many letters to choose from.
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What starts as four possible letters to pick from turns into 15 by day 160. Additionally, since the mystery words are not always relevant to the prison escape story, it can get pretty hard to guess what random word the game wants.
More and more letters are added as you progress further
That said, the game is not too tough. There’s no time restriction and there’s no punishment for incorrect guesses, which means it’s just a matter of time before you get the right one.
If you find the game too difficult, there are plenty of online walkthroughs to help you out:
Is the game free?
All levels in Words Story are free, as are the hints. You can choose to buy coins, but there’s really no point to doing so; you have nothing in the game to purchase.
Words Story has microtransactions, but coins in-game don’t serve any purpose.
Can you remove the ads?
Yes. Ads in this game another way you can earn in-game coins. As we said earlier though, coins in this game don’t actually serve any purpose, so there’s no incentive to watch ads. The good news is that Words Story lacks any online features other than the ads so if they’re bothering you all you need to do is turn off your internet connection or cellular and you’ll no longer be bothered by them.
All in all, Words Story is an easy word unscrambling game for all ages that serves to pass the time and test your vocabulary a bit. For a free game, it definitely accomplishes what it sets out to do. Enjoy the game, and if you get stuck check out this video that takes you from day 1 to 200. Until then, feel free to check out Words Story along with Zhou Jiaping’s other work right here.
It’s been a long 10 years since Marvel and Activision released Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, the semi-official fourth game in the series that began with X-Men Legends way back in 2004. If you’re a nostalgic fan of the series, it’s a lot of fun to look back through the journey that spans from Alison Crestmere’s first tentative days exploring the X-Mansion, to allying with the Brotherhood to take down Apocalypse (in the sequel), to banding all the Marvel characters together to defeat Dr. Doom’s Masters of Evil, to finally fighting the fearsome Fold in the frenetic Ultimate Alliance 2.
It’s been so long since that final encounter in the game’s final act in Wakanda that many fans of Ultimate Alliance have long since abandoned the hope of ever getting another game. Our surprise at the announcement of a Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 were matched only by our enthusiasm, and with the game coming out next month we were immediately curious to see how (and if) they were changing the formula so that it matches the expectations of a 2019 crowd.
Ultimate Alliance is finally making its triumphant return!
We’re happy to see that Ultimate Alliance 3 will be adding in some exciting new characters and features while still respecting and maintaining the elements we love from the older games. Here’s a rundown of both the old and the new of Ultimate Alliance 3 (did we mention we’re super excited to play this game?):
The familiar
Teams of four
First things first, Ultimate Alliance 3’s gameplay will feature player-made teams of four Marvel characters, a staple number that’s been in place since the beginning of the franchise. As we hoped, this also means up to four players can play cooperatively – both online and local! In today’s online-obsessed gaming world, it’s a rare treat to get to play with our friends in a real local game. We expect the easy, pick-up-and-play style of the game to make this a hugely popular game at parties. Just be sure to have an extra controller lying around!
Suit up as the Guardians of the Galaxy as they take the fight to the Black Order
Xtraction points
Like in the preceding titles, you’ll come across glowing blue icons on the ground that serve as the game’s checkpoints. These are points where you’re permitted to save, load, change teams, upgrade characters, change costumes, or fast-travel to prior locations. It’s an especially useful feature if you’re a completionist who finds they missed something important back during the first act. It’s also handy if you pick up new gear or characters that you want to switch between as the story progresses.
Remember these?
Lockjaw offers teleporting
Once you’re on a mission you’re committed. Whatever team you assembled will have to do until you reach an extraction (“Xtraction” in the earlier games) point. The exception (“Xception?”) to the rule was that you were allowed a portal every five minutes courtesy of Blink. In Ultimate Alliance 3 you’ll get the same function, this time with the help of the lumbering and adorable Lockjaw.
This woofer earns his treatos
While this wasn’t implemented in Ultimate Alliance 2, we think a return of this feature is a good thing; being able to quickly switch in a character at any time took weight away from our team-building decisions prior to a mission, and led to some cheesing of the system with characters like Iron Fist (the game’s only healer).
Four abilities per character (MUA2)
While X-Men Legends 2 (and even Ultimate Alliance) had around 10 upgradeable moves per character, it looks like Ultimate Alliance 3 will be maintaining the trend of its prequel. Characters in the upcoming game will cap at four abilities, with each mapped to a designated button on the controller. While this at first sounds disappointing, remember that there’s a large roster of characters (over two dozen!), and that this way there are fewer instances of moves being copy/pasted between the cast, allowing for each hero to feel more distinct. Scarlet Witch, for example, can buff her teammates with a radial healing effect, while Daredevil uniquely uses radar sense to identify enemy weaknesses.
Fighting sentinels on the X-Mansion lawn. Another nostalgic callback.
Team bonuses
Remember when you could put Scarlet Witch, Magneto, Juggernaut, and Toad on the same team to receive the “Brotherhood of Evil” bonus back in X-Men Legends 2? Or put Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, and Captain America together in Ultimate Alliance to form the “Classic Avengers?” Ultimate Alliance 3 incorporates and improves this feature, allowing you to once again benefit from assembling a particular team of heroes. Some will deal bonus damage, others receive additional XP, and some even regenerate health passively when grouped up.
Once again you’ll receive bonuses for putting certain characters together
There is, however, one hugely significant change to this function in Ultimate Alliance 3: Multiple team bonuses can stack. Put together a team like Black Widow, Spider-Gwen (she’s in this game!), and Scarlet Witch and you’ll trigger a “Women of Marvel” bonus. Add Miles Morales (yep, he’s here too!) and his inclusion with Spider-Gwen will add the “Web Warriors” bonus on top of that. Keep track of which pairings provide which bonuses and you can start putting together more cohesive teams.
Extreme and Synergy
The first three games in the series featured “Xtreme attacks” which worked like ultimate abilities for each character. These ranged from the big crowd-clearers (like Storm’s ‘Raging Tempest’) to the more creative tricks (like Gambit’s ‘Prince of Thieves’ that provided a brief but substantial increase to loot found). These ultimate attacks were removed in Ultimate Alliance 2 in favor of fusion abilities, which came in three varieties: Targeted (for massively damaging single targets), Clearing (AoE), and Guided (which bulldozed the competition in a direction the players set).
Fire tornado ca. Ultimate Alliance 2
Ultimate Alliance 3 is bringing together the best of both worlds, giving each character both an Extreme Attack and Synergy Attacks. Fill up the EX gauge and you’ll build up power to unleash your individual Extreme Attack, or combine unique character abilities together (like Iron Man shooting his uni-beam at Captain America’s shield) to make more devastating attacks. splitting the laser to hit multiple targets, Storm and Thor create a cyclone with electricity, etc. If all four characters unleash their Extreme Attacks at once it’s considered an Ultimate Extreme and generates a ton of additional damage.
Laser tornado ca. Ultimate Alliance 3
The new
Switch only
If you’re a Nintendo Switch owner, this is your time to shine; it’s the only platform that will be able to play this game, at least for now. Interestingly enough, this Marvel made this decision after Nintendo first visited them – before the Switch was even publicly revealed. They showed them the hardware and discussed their plans to move forward with its launch, and the presentation was solid enough to convince Marvel to work exclusively with Nintendo on the game.
Team Ninja
While Marvel Games is providing the character selections and writing talent, the game’s actually developed by Team Ninja. Marvel Games were huge fans of Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo for years, and always wanted to work with them. Both teams wanted to see the series return, and when Nintendo eventually jumped on as their publisher, they started cooking with gas.
Meet the cast
While the first two X-Men Legends games focused on keeping the characters in the X-Men (and Brotherhood) family, Ultimate Alliance brought the story to the full Marvel universe. This meant the inclusion of characters like Daredevil, Dr. Strange, the Fantastic Four, and Venom. Ultimate Alliance 3 is bringing in a huge assortment of characters, some of whom are making their debut, such as Crystal, the Guardians of the Galaxy (finally!), Miles Morales, and Spider-Gwen.
Check out this pic of the the full roster so far:
Check out the full cast!
Story
Marc Sumerak is recognized as one of the best writers for Marvel content, and his talents are coming to the franchise once again. He wrote the plot for Ultimate Alliance 3 with the intent being to weave together aspects of both the comics and the films. As such, characters like Captain America will draw from both: He’s got the looks of Cap from the MCU, and has an appropriately cool shield kick animation, but some of his other moves (like his more cartoonish block) are more in the style of the comics. Similarly, his attitude and dialogue will be a little more on the corny side. As for what this plot is, we don’t know the full details yet, but here’s what we do know:
This weird-looking block can reflect projectiles!
The story starts with the Guardians of the Galaxy entering a derelict Kree warship. Here they confront Nebula, Ronan the Accuser, and eventually Proxima Midnight, the first encounter with Thanos’ Black Order. The infamous Infinity Stones are gathered aboard this ship, and the ensuing battle scatters them across the universe. The subsequent chapters take take place at locations like the Raft (at which point you’ll be introduced to most of the other cast), the Shadowland, New York, Avengers Tower, the X-Mansion and more. We also know that certain baddies (like the Green Goblin) will be in possession of various Infinity Stones.
These guys always spell trouble
Emotes
Since the game can be played either locally or online, every character also gets a variety of emotes (to help communicate without a headset). Iron Man will have numerous quips he can say at any moment, and Hulk is verified to shout “Hulk approves!” which we’re certain that players won’t spam.
Alliance Enhancement System and ISO-8
If you’re still disappointed that each character only gets four moves, you’ll be happy to hear about these two big gamechangers: ISO-8 and the Alliance Enhancement System. The latter is a series of upgrades that applies to the whole team. The dev team has cited it as being similar to the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X, with nodes unlocked through both credits and enhancement points. Characters will level up individually as they always have, and Ability Points (another takeaway from earlier titles) can also be used to improve your character’s primary abilities.
Use red Iso-8 to boost a character’s HP recovery rate
ISO-8, on the other hand, is an element that you can equip on your hero. This lets you tweak their abilities in a fight to dramatic, direct effect. These are dropped during particularly tough encounters and provide creative new elements to your combat: Decreasing damage when health is low, increasing the chances of health orbs dropping, largely improving your chance to stun, and more. You can also break down individual ISO-8 pieces to upgrade other pieces to bolster their effect.
Stagger gauge
Speaking of tough fights, we also know there’ll be a new “stagger gauge” mechanic. This is a feature implemented during fights with heavies, mini-bosses and boss characters, and will be displayed via a purple stagger gauge. This gauge will have to be depleted before you’re able to do any lasting damage to the target, and the enemy is stunned and open to attack. The only way to reliably deplete the stagger gauge is to deliver continuous damage. Considering that you’ll have to balance this with managing your own power cooldowns, this will undoubtedly lead to some pretty cool changes to the usual strategy.
Infinity Trials
Lastly, we know that Ultimate Alliance 3 will include Infinity Trials, which work similarly to the Rod of Trials from Ninja Gaiden 2. These Infinity Trials are optional battles that appear as rifts during your first playthrough. Players will be transported to a new location, in which a tough challenge mode will trigger, featuring twists and variations on previous encounters. Undergoing these trials are always heavily rewarded, and are most certainly worth your while if you’re trying to maximize your characters before the start of each new act.
Stay tuned with Softonic for more news and details about Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 as they’re made available. We can’t wait to get our hand on a copy on July 19 – less than a month!!
Movie tie-in games have a bad reputation, but we have 10 that are actually fun!
Bringing up movie tie-in games around any dedicated gamer is bound to elicit a cringe. Games based on movies have an arguably well-deserved reputation of being notoriously bad. However good the source material is, movie games as a whole tend to be nothing more than half-finished cash grabs attempting to capitalize on a film’s success. For a while, movie tie-in games fell out of favor, but may be about to enjoy a comeback. If the newly announced Avengers game is any indication, we might be on the verge of a movie tie-in renaissance in the gaming world. As such, we’re taking a look at 10 examples of excellence in this otherwise less-than-stellar genre.
10. Enter the Matrix
Image courtesy Atari
Enter the Matrix took the term “movie tie-in” to the next level. Released at the same time as “The Matrix: Reloaded,” Enter the Matrix had a lot of the same team working on the game’s story, namely The Wachowskis themselves.
The game was intended to be a companion piece to the movie, and the two stories weave together in a way that adds a shocking amount to the plot of the movie. The game’s live-action cutscenes were filmed alongside the movie itself using the same actors, so in essence, Enter the Matrix acted as an entirely new Matrix movie.
In addition to the well-crafted story, the game played extremely similarly to PS2 classic Max Payne. Though Max Payne arguably did a few things better, the gameplay was still solid and made players feel like part of the movie. Ever wanted to see if you could hold your own against an Agent? Enter the Matrix let you put those skills to the test.
Released back when Harry Potter was first making a splash in the U.S., Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone took the hype to new levels. Built around platforming and puzzle solving with a dash of spell-based combat for good measure, this game’s real highlight was the setting.
Hogwarts was a fully realized, massive location. The sprawling castle included familiar areas from the books and movies as well as several original locations that drove home how massive the wizarding school really was. One of the best parts of the game was the positively ridiculous amount of secrets, easter eggs, and collectibles tucked away in hidden areas around the castle. Years later, and we’re still not sure we found them all.
This one’s a bit of a chicken vs. egg situation. The original Ratchet & Clank first dropped in 2002 for the PS2, and was an action platformer focusing on the titular intrepid heroes and their efforts to save the galaxy from a nefarious dictator.
In 2016, Ratchet & Clank got a movie and a new game as a tie-in. Not exactly a reboot, the game was billed as a “reimagining” of the original that coincided with the events of the movie.
Though the movie left something to be desired, the game was fantastic. Combining the best of old and new, Ratchet & Clank merged all the improved gameplay of more recent entries in the series with classic characters and settings from the original. The game was a definite nostalgia trip and a solid entry in the franchise, whether or not you played the first game or saw the movie.
They don’t make them like this anymore. Built on a well-realized backbone of hack-n-slash combat and some RPG elements, Return of the King let players live out the events of the movie, and the best part? You could do it with friends. The game was fully equipped for couch co-op. Players could select from a roster of iconic characters from the movie, each with their own unique fighting style and abilities. Then, you and your buddies could slice and dice through hordes of orcs in some of the film’s most iconic battles, with Howard Shore’s epic score blaring in the background. If anybody at EA is listening, may we humbly suggest that this game is due for a remake?
Playing Alien: Isolation is, without exaggeration, like stepping into an Alien movie. The level of immersion in this game is incredible; set some time after the events of the original “Alien,” you play as Ripley’s daughter aboard the space station Sevastopol, investigating your mother’s disappearance. It soon becomes apparent that the Xenomorphs have made it aboard the Sevastopol as well, and almost from the moment you set foot in the game, you’re engaging in a tense fight for survival. From the distinctive 70s futuristic aesthetic to sound effects and music taken straight from the movies, this game is a love letter to “Alien” fans and a must play for anybody who enjoys a solid survival-horror experience.
Is there any movie tie-in more quintessential than the classic GoldenEye 007? Originally created as a tie-in for the 90s Bond flick “GoldenEye,” the game’s popularity exploded and it soon took on a life of its own. Though it did include a single-player campaign based on the movie, multiplayer was where GoldenEye 007 really stood out. You and your friends could pick characters from classic and modern Bond films, tweak game rules to your liking, and then try to gun each other down in a number of distinct arena locations. Though the controls are a bit… clunky by modern standards, GoldenEye remains the gold standard for local multiplayer games to this day.
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4. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Image courtesy Starbreeze Studios
Way, way before Vin Diesel was Groot, he was Riddick. Riddick was the antihero protagonist of the early 2000s “Chronicles of Riddick” franchise, which spanned several films and even an anime.
In the game, players controlled Riddick as he attempted to escape from the maximum security Butcher Bay prison. The plot acts as a prequel to the movies, and the game itself plays like a glorious love child of Splinter Cell and Half-Life 2. It’s a blend of action and stealth that many games still struggle with today, but Escape from Butcher Bay achieved the mix perfectly. The game was remastered a few years back for the PS3, and we highly recommend tracking down a copy if possible.
3. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Image courtesy LucasArts
Star Wars fans still have mixed feelings about the third entry in the prequel franchise, and those mixed feelings extend to the movie’s video game companion. Despite its shortcomings, Revenge of the Sith had a lot going for it. The story played right alongside the events of the movie, allowing you to take on the role of several characters and enjoy some satisfying third-person lightsaber combat. Multiplayer also shined, letting players select characters and duke it out on Star Wars-inspired battlefields.
Revenge of the Sith is the meat-and-potatoes of movie tie-in games: nothing too fancy, but still classic and a gold standard when it comes to how to do a movie tie-in the right way.
2. Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Image courtesy Ubisoft
Despite its horrendously long title, King Kong stood out among movie tie-ins as one of the best. Players take on the role of Adrien Brody’s character as he fights across Skull Island to save his girlfriend, Ann Darrow. Along the way, you encounter a rather gruesome array of monsters, from ghoulish giant vampire bats to full grown T-Rexes.
This game takes survival seriously: there’s no HUD at all, meaning you’ll have to keep track of your own health and ammo, and aim using your weapon’s iron sights as opposed to a reticle. Guns themselves are very rare, meaning players would usually find themselves improvising melee combat with spears and bones or just avoiding combat altogether.
Despite how it sounds, the game was never too difficult, but rather just the right level to be immensely satisfying. In addition, several standout sequences let you play as Kong himself, and there’s nothing we can write to quite capture how it feels to rip a T-Rex’s jaw clean off.
1. Spider-Man 2
Image courtesy Activision
It’s pizza time. Before the recently released Marvel’s Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 served as the template for everything that the new game got right. Players could swing around a huge open-world New York, taking on ambient missions in a style similar to GTA. Though the game did follow the events of the movie, the numerous sidequests made Spider-Man 2 into an experience all its own. Like any good Spider-Man iteration, it also didn’t take itself too seriously, and there are plenty of humorous easter eggs and encounters to discover around the city. Fingers crossed that the forthcoming Avengers game takes notes from this masked predecessor.
Movie tie-in games don’t have to be entirely bad. When developed by the right team, movie games can be unique and satisfying experiences all on their own.
Wattson has just been officially inducted into the Apex Legends roster, and Respawn has revealed her accompanying set of new abilities, as well as a backstory for the character. The brilliant daughter of the Apex Game’s lead electrical engineer, Wattson is a promising, talented, and enterprising young woman with a mind for tech and a talent for battle. Her abilities mostly involve area control, defense, and mobility prevention, making her a viable alternative to the typical run-and-gun style of play in Apex Legends. Check out the full details below:
Wattson’s real name is Natalie Paquette, a French woman who discovered her talent for electrical engineering at a young age. An avid reader on the subject, her skill earned her commission to build King’s Canyon’s Modified Containment Ring. While lighthearted and carefree, Wattson also exhibited a laser-focused attention to detail when working, and is passionate about electricity for its ordered, predictable flow.
Natalie “Wattson” Paquette made the Apex Arena’s Ring a reality. Now, she's joining the Games to put her shocking skills to use.
Sadly, her father died the day the Modified Containment Ring was revealed, but Wattson soon found solace in a group of competitors who invited her to battle in the arena. King’s Canyon is her new home, and she is a valuable asset to any team with her dazzling tech abilities. What kind of abilities? Let’s take a look:
Check out Wattson’s full character description here on EA’s site
Wattson abilities
Wattson’s role as a Legend is mostly support, providing faster shield recharges, tactical information, and powerful defensive barriers that fluidly work in tandem with pretty much any other Legend on the field (but especially Caustic). Her tactical ability sets a node that connects to form an electrified fence. While it’s not subtle, it can cover a wide area, and alerts both Wattson and her team to any incoming enemy teams. These players are also slowed and receive light damage, making the decision to enter Wattson’s zone of control a weighted one.
Wattson sets up an electrified perimeter to debuff, damage, and ping hostiles.
Wattson’s Ultimate is Interception Pylon, which can outright nullify and destroy enemy projectiles that come within a set radius. This provides great cover (especially when paired with a friendly Gibraltar or Bangalore) to recharge your shields, heal or revive teammates, loot player boxes, or even just re-position for a stronger offensive. Wattson’s Spark of Genius passive also grants a strong synergy between her other abilities, allowing for more frequent use of her tactical, and even fully recharging Interception Pylon after a single Ultimate Accelerant.
The strategy with Wattson is to keep your teammates alive with good tactical input, stockpile on Ultimate Accelerants so that you’ll be easily and reliably defended in the late game, and use her Perimeter Security to zone enemy teams and discourage enemy positioning. Like we mentioned before, she pairs especially well with Caustic in the late game, since their defensive tactical abilities stack when trying to control a structure or territory. Make the enemy come to you, then ambush them from a powerful vantage point.
