The handheld only Nintendo Switch comes at a fraction of the price but does not offer the full Switch library.
Coming this September, Nintendo will release a new model of the Nintendo Switch. This one will be handheld only and costs $200 ($100 less than the normal model). The new model will be much smaller than the original, but will also have a longer battery life.
Unlike the original Switch, the new model will not have removable joycons. Instead, they will be built in.
Not every game in the Switch library will be playable on the new model. Only games that can be played in handheld mode will be playable. However, there will be a compatibility controller available for purchase that will allow you to play every game in the Switch library.
The new model will be available in three colors: yellow, gray, and turquoise. When Pokémon Sword and Shield come out this November, there will be two other designs based on the game’s legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta. Along with being handheld only, the model also won’t have the HD rumble and IR motion camera features.
There are a number of methods on Twitch for monetization.
Direct Donations
Donations are a streamer’s best friend! Money goes straight from the giver to the streamer, avoiding Twitch entirely. It’s an easy and meaningful “thank you” from users who love a channel.
Understandably, since Twitch earns nothing, they require streamers to set up donation links for themselves. Take, for example, the Apex Legends streamer Viss. On their channel, you can find a number of links directly below the stream, as seen below:
Very clean and clear link menu, it has our approval!
All streamers that set up donations will have something like this button on their site. You may have to search, but it’ll be there!
If you are a streamer looking to set up direct donations on your site, you have the option to give your donors a choice of emoji that plays over the stream. We suggest using this to let the donors know they’re appreciated!
Twitch Affiliates and Partners
Before we go on, we need to discuss two terms: affiliates and partners. Essentially, these are two levels of Twitch streamer that each unlock new aspects of monetization.
To become an affiliate, you must reach 50 followers and meet a few criteria for monthly streaming (ex: 500 minutes on 7 unique days, etc.). Once that’s accomplished, you can apply to be an affiliate.
And why would you? Because subscriptions and bit donations start right here, along with the ability to earn from the advertisements played on your channel.
Partners are a step above affiliates, and the requirements for partnership are set down in the aptly named Path to Partner. Basically, have 75 viewers on average, and a meet a much higher number of average streams. Twitch describes the ideal Partner as someone who they can partner with to exemplify a good streamer to others on the site.
This final tier has many more benefits: promotions on the Twitch website, channel-specific benefits to subscribers, potentially paid appearances at conventions, and more. We’ll talk about a few of these further down.
Subscriptions
Twitch subscriptions can be confusing for anyone traveling from YouTube, where “subscribe” simply means to follow a channel.
Here, subscriptions work more like a regular streaming service (think Hulu or Netflix). Users pay monthly fees for the ability to watch without ads, and half the subscription cost goes to the streamer.
With a subscription, viewers can also attain user badges and special emoji to enter in the live chat. Also, they may be invited to subscriber-only chatrooms.
Once again, these features become available at the affiliate level. Meanwhile, partners can begin to create their own badges and emoji for greater personalization.
Bits!
Bits are another form of “direct donation.” However, these are officially created by Twitch themselves and are only available to affiliates and above.
They work something like in-game currency: you buy bits, which are then used to purchase emotes that play over a streamer’s video. When this happens, you have a chance of being personally thanked by the recipient!
Once again, to create unique bit emotes and “cheermotes,” you must gain the level of Partner.
Outside of Twitch (Somewhat…)
There are many monetization options that aren’t connected to Twitch. These can actually be some of the best sources of income, but won’t be available to smaller streamers for quite a while.
Sponsors
Many streamers use their channel to set up personal connections to products. Sometimes this takes the form of advertisements on their channel, which admittedly will be run through Twitch. Oftentimes, streamers can be paid for simply putting something in a video.
Think product placement in your favorite movies!
Take the above photo of Ninja for example. In most of his streams, the camera has been set so viewers are able to see his monitor, refrigerator, keyboard, and gaming computer. We guarantee each and every one of those things are created by sponsors who pay Ninja to subtly represent their product.
Appearances
While Twitch Partners may receive offers to show up for Twitch events to represent the company, there are many different businesses that will pay to have streaming legends appear for their product.
At E3 2019, the creators of Philips Hue, a company that uses light shows to enhance gaming experiences, invited Apex, a member of the FaZe Fortnite clan, to join their booth for media interviews.
So, is Twitch Prime Related?
With all this talk of Twitch, users familiar with the website may be questioning: does Prime affect monetization?
The answer is: kinda.
In addition to video game specific benefits like free loot boxes, every Twitch Prime member gets one free monthly subscription, which at this time would normally cost $5.
So, remember how we said Twitch streamers get about half of the subscription cost? In this situation, they still get paid half the month’s subscription, even though the actual viewer didn’t put money down.
Conclusion
Between direct donations, the affiliate and partner programs, subscriptions, bits, sponsors, appearances, and Twitch Prime, monetization can seem a bit daunting at first, when combined with everything else this streaming platform offers. We hope this guide gives you a better idea of how everything works.
From price to speed, there are so many things to consider when buying a graphics card!
When you’re building your new gaming PC, one of the most expensive single pieces you’ll end up buying is your graphics card. If you’re going to dish out a few hundred bucks for one, you better make sure that you are getting the best one for all of your needs.
We took a look at some of the best graphics cards on the market, and what you should consider before adding it to your cart. Price is far from the only thing you should consider as some of these can make all of the difference depending on your needs.
How to choose your graphics card
The main things you need to look into when choosing a graphics card are GPU/memory, cooling, noise, size, aesthetics, and extra features. We’re going to go through these features one by one to let you know why each is important.
GPU/Memory
With GPU and memory comes speed, and this can vary drastically based on what kind of graphics card you buy. On one hand, you might have a graphics card that can let you play the most heavily modded version of Skyrim you can find with no issue, or you can have one that struggles to play Tetris.
If speed is the name of the game for you, we’d recommend the Zotac GeForce GTX 1070. With 1070 GPU, you get some of the highest speed you can get for the price of $350.
Cooling/Noise
You might be able to save a few bucks if you get a graphics card with a small fan or only one fan, but you risk the GPU overheating and have to deal with a lot of noise.
When buying a graphics card, take a look a the quality of fans that go into them. Fans are what keep your graphics card from overheating, and help reduce noise. If you have good fans, then your GPU stays cool and quiet. A single fan or a small fan can mean that your PC will run hot and loud.
The Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 is still a good option in this department, but if you are willing to compromise speed and memory, the Diyeeni Colorful GTX 1060 is a solid choice. Your GPU will run nice and cool, and it will be as quiet as a church mouse. You can even pick this one up for less than $300. Don’t worry, you can still play Skyrim with this bad boy.
Size
Depending on the size of your device’s chassis, you may be limited on the size of the graphics card you can buy. Just so you know, it would really stink if you bought a big, expensive, non-refundable graphics card only to find out it’s far too big. This is why many people choose their graphics card first and then build a PC around it.
Your typical chassis for a decent gaming PC will support a graphics card as big as 12 inches by 9.63 inches. However, if you are going to get yourself a smaller chassis, you can be limited to 9.63 inches by 9.63 inches or even 6.75 inches by 6.75 inches.
The Zotac GeForce GTX 1070 and the Diyeeni Colorful GTX 1060 can fit inside the large chassis with no issue. However, if your chassis has a smaller limit, there are other options. For the 9.63 by 9.63 chassis, the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 is a great option. If you have the smallest option, go with the Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030.
Aesthetics and extra features
Before you buy a graphics card, make sure you are buying one that comes with a good warranty. If your graphics card gets fried because of a faulty piece, you need to make sure that you have a warranty that will cover the damage. However, there are other features you can look into to bundle into your purchase.
If we had to pick the best graphics card on the market right now, we’d have to go with the Zotac GeForce GTX 1070. For the price, there just isn’t anything else on the market that will let you play games in such high quality. You can play pretty much whatever you want in beautiful 1080p at high speeds without much risk of your PC overheating.
Tired of traversing the world of Skyrim? These RPGs are sure to tickle your fancy!
If you’re modding the heck out of your eleventh Skyrim run, we feel for you. It’s likely going to be a while before Elder Scrolls VI lands, or even before we get any more information on it, so in the meantime, it’s a struggle finding another title for sate that fantasy RPG craving.
If you’re a fantasy RPG fan, by 2019, you’ve probably played your share of Baldur’s Gate, Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and all its DLC, and Dragon Age. While these are still some of the best titles on the market, there’s a handful of lesser-known games out there under the radar with just as much charm, lore, smooth gameplay, and replayability. Take a look at six fantasy RPG games that you’ve probably never heard of, but will love:
Explore a broken zeppelin with magic spells. Blend fantasy and steampunk!
The (long) title of the game gives a bit of hint as to what makes this game so cool. Magic and technology coexist in this world, but it’s an uneasy balance. Mages are discriminated from riding trains for fear that their latent arcane energies will halt it on the track.
You can design your character to work more on the tech side of things (new inventions, weapons, gadgets, and robots), or the magic side (fireballs, charm spells, necromantic summons, or teleportation). Wield a flintlock pistol just as easily as you would a flaming sword:
Aside from the gorgeous, atmospheric string soundtrack, the game also knocks it out of the park with its RPG elements almost immediately. Right off the bat, you’re given the choice of eight playable races (Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Half-Ogres, Half-Orcs, and Half-Elves) and more than 60 character backgrounds!
You might think that it’s just number-crunching, but shockingly, there’s dialogue to match each one. It’s not just dialogue, either; racism is alive and well in Arcanum. While playing as a half-orc can grant you some good strength bonuses, other races will treat you like dirt. You might even be denied lodging.
Tons of well-written lore, branching dialogue, and character interactions.
It’s an old-school RPG. The combat can be merciless and the controls a little clunky. Save often and in different slots (which is a good rule of thumb for multiple games on this list,) and don’t be afraid to change up the control scheme or the combat style. You can switch from turn-based to real-time, both of which have their distinct advantages against different foes. It’s another really unique facet of Arcanum.
The game has tons of different weapons and armor, potions to concoct, and a slew of spells for the mage player. There are 16 different spell colleges, ranging from elemental magic, necromancy, divination, mind control, and even temporal spells that control the flow of time.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks And Magick ObscuraDownload ►
Somewhere between magic and tech is you
If you have the patience for a steeper learning curve, definitely give this game a try. If you’re worried about bugs, you can slap on this free patch too.
Protect the city of New Ashos with a tailor-made ricochet air spell.
Two Worlds II had a hard time right out of the gate, being the sequel to the hilarious Two Worlds. When a game fumbles at the start, it can be a death sentence for impatient players, and this game’s intro was rocky. It’s a shame because while there are certainly flaws to Two Worlds II, if you sift through the game you’ll find some elements that make other fantasy games pale in comparison.
Combat animations are clunky, but the environment, art, and lighting are breathtaking. You’ll travel in a (mostly) open world that ranges from the fields of the Savannah to the tropical islands and busy cities of act two.
The RPG element here isn’t quite as strong as in Arcanum (you’re stuck playing a specific, rather dull protagonist). However, the gameplay and level-up system cater to a respectable variety of creative play styles. You can be wily and kick dirt into an enemy’s face, fire distraction arrows while sneaking up behind targets, or summon giant spiders and rock golems to aid you in combat. You can even play music (which works kind of like Guitar Hero) in a crowded street to earn some coin.
The magic system in Two Worlds II is definitely its shining point. So, if you’re a fan of playing the wizard, we cannot stress how much this game rewards creative spell crafting and casting. Instead of providing you with recipes for spells, Two Worlds II gives you ingredients and encourages you to mix and match cards, amulets, staffs, and summons to make an astounding variety of element combinations.
Spray the ground with traps that summon giant scorpions. Fire a leeching fog missile that blinds targets with mist while sapping their health to you. Check out how crazy it can get:
Two Worlds II has its flaws, but if you’re willing to look past them you’ll likely find several aspects that you’ll wish other fantasy RPGs shared. See which of those are for you!
Sink in hundreds of hours of gameplay as you explore the lush worlds of Amalur.
What do you get when you combine the creative energies of New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, and Ken Rolston, the lead designer for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion? You get Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a charming fantasy world that feels (and looks) a bit like a sequel to Fable.
There’s the standard enormous world to explore with tons of different monsters to fight, branching side-quests with multiple endings, and all the blacksmithing, rune-slotting, and potion-crafting that you could want.
Seamlessly switch from spells to bow to blades
While designing your character’s appearance doesn’t provide you with a ton of options, there’s an insane amount of depth to the game’s RPG element. There are customizable classes, unlockable specialization cards, and the revolutionary Destiny system that lets you continuously evolve as you decide which play style works best for you. Hint: they’re all ridiculously fun. You can fight with flaming chakrams. Need we say more?
What makes the protagonist of KoA special is that he can literally bend fate in a world that’s otherwise restricted to a set course. The world, plot, and gameplay are yours to mold.
Arx Fatalis was designed back in 2002 by Arkane Studios, the same company that created Prey back in 2017. It tells a thought-provoking story in an authentic, immersive medieval landscape. Like all good role-playing games, your decisions will directly affect the world and the people around you.
Is she worth helping? Maybe she has a key for those chests…
There are dungeons full of goblins, rat-men, trolls, and mummies, and you can do so with your choice in the classic triumvirate of stealth, magic, or brawn. Swing a variety of weapons, sneak through hidden tunnels and doorways, or use the fancy “onscreen gesture based magic system.” Basically, you’ll be using your mouse to control the character’s hand as he weaves arcane sigils of power into the air like Dr. Strange:
Gesture-based spell combat makes you feel like a legit wizard.
Arx is innovative and very atmospheric, with combat, puzzles and tough choices. We recommend you watch a video of the first ten minutes to get a feel for its flow. If you like the vibe it gives you, the game is only $4.99 on Steam. Check it out and let us know what you think!
Bobbin’s distaff can open clam shells … or rifts in the fabric of reality.
An oldie but a goodie, Loom was designed by the now-defunct LucasArts around the same time as The Secret of Monkey Island. It’s a point-and-click puzzle game but the twist is that your main tool to solve puzzles and progress is music. You play as Bobbin Threadbare, a cloaked and hooded member of the mysterious Weaver Guild, an elusive cult that gets ‘transcended’ into a flock of swans at the start of the game.
How might it be helpful to dye a sheep’s wool green?
Backed by Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake ballet, the game is full of poetic imagery. There are cities made of emerald glass, black caves beneath a dragon’s lair, a floating city in the shape of a smoking anvil, and a sparkling pond awash in a sea of stars. The game progresses as Bobbin discovers the extent of his powers and his role in the shifting world.
Complete with an audio drama to jump-start the plot action, this game is chock full of striking lore, memorable characters, and visuals that pushed the envelope for the graphics of games that followed.
Explore a rich world and unlock new notes to weave new ‘drafts’ and spells.
Besides the atmosphere, what really separates this game from others in the genre is how puzzles are solved. Rather than cramming an inventory full of desultory objects, the game “levels you up” by teaching you new notes on a (literal and figurative) music staff. When an egg is trying to hatch, it sounds four notes in an arpeggio. Repeat those ‘opening’ tones on a door and it swings open! Reverse the chord and it closes. The answer to a puzzle isn’t always what you see in Loom; it’s what you hear.
Every conflict makes you stronger, richer, and more experienced.
While the classic fighter-thief-mage paths are ubiquitous by today’s standards, Quest for Glory is the franchise that started the trend. This series blends the point-and-click puzzle genre (ie Roberta Williams’ King’s Quest or Monkey Island) with a true fantasy RPG with character stats, roaming monsters, spells to learn, and houses to rob. The fighter, thief, and mage paths are not just branching skill trees for a single character, either; they’re three distinct styles of storytelling. The brawny fighter and clever mage can come to the same puzzle but solve it in completely different ways. The thief class often gets entirely new areas to explore that the other two classes are unable to reach.
Earn the right to undergo your wizard initiation. Join the ranks of the most prestigious mages.
Quest for Glory is not just one game for you to play – it’s a five-game series, each taking place in a new locale: The Germanic or Swedish-inspired Valley of Spielburg, with forests teeming with goblins and trolls; the Arabian deserts of the sister cities Shapeir and Raseir; the vast Serengeti fields of Tarna and the Simbani tribe; the Transylvanian swamps and woods of the Slavic-inspired Mordavia (watch out for vampires); and the isle of Silmaria, the final chapter that takes you through the heights (Pegasus) and depths (Hades) of Greek mythology, culminating in a contest for kingship to save the land from the Dragon of Doom.
Quest for glory over majestic seas, through cursed crypts, and to the depths of the underworld.
One of the most uniquely innovative facets of Quest for Glory is that upon completion of a game you’re given the option to import your character into the next game. Your class, stats, gold, potions, and spells all carry over with you so your hard work early on in the series gets you more mileage as you progress further.
That gold coin you earned back in the first game could well buy you a new throwing dagger all the way in Silmaria! If you’re a fan of the fantasy RPG genre then this a simply a game you must try. It’s got humor, adventure, well-written characters, memorable locations, clever puzzles, challenging monsters, creative spells, and five games worth of incredible content. That puts it at the top of our list of recommendations!
Don’t just take our word for it, though; try these games for yourself! Let us know in the comments below which one ends up being your favorite, and stay tuned for more hidden gems!
Prop Hunt brings hide-and-seek gameplay to Fortnite!
Image courtesy Epic Games
Fortnite’s v9.20 patch brought some major changes to Battle Royale. As always, intrepid data miners have been hard at work digging into the game files added as part of the update. They have found a treasure trove of new items that indicate some exciting stuff it coming up for Fortnite fans. Chief among these upcoming additions are two new LTM game modes: the classic Prop Hunt game type and a new mode dubbed Beach Assault.
Prop Hunt and Beach Assault modes come to Fortnite
Image courtesy Epic Games
Based on what the leaked game files have revealed, Beach Assault is going to be a wave defense game type. Attackers will be working to assault enemy fortifications on the beach and destroy a suitably intimidating-sounding “Doomsday Cannon.” As the assault continues, attackers will be able to reach checkpoints that will, presumably, act as spawns as they get closer to the main objective. In the meantime, defenders will need to fend off the waves of attackers for 15 minutes to win.
The mode seems to have a distinctly World War II flavor, and also reveals the potential addition of a new weapon. As seen in the image above, one of the attackers is wielding a new kind of pump-action shotgun, different than the old one that was recently added to the vault. How this shotgun will function and whether it’s exclusive to the new LTM is unclear.
Image courtesy Epic Games
The second new game mode is a classic that will be familiar to many veterans of first-person shooters. Prop Hunt is essentially hide-and-seek with guns.
Players will be split into two teams. The first team will have a limited time to hide by taking the form of in-game props and positioning themselves in unobtrusive places around the map. The team of seekers will then have to use a combination of observation and instinct to track down and eliminate their opponents. To spice things up, hidden props will make a noise every 15 seconds, and players with keen ears will be able to track those sounds to their source to find hidden enemies.
In addition to the leaked modes, the v9.20 patch brought a fair amount of changes to the game. Most players have likely already noticed the new Storm Flip grenade, which allows players to use the Storm as a weapon. Tossing the Storm Flip creates a deadly bubble of Storm energy that can quickly take out large groups of opponents. Alternately, tossing a Storm Flip while caught in the storm itself will create a bubble of safety. It can potentially allow players the extra boost they need to escape the storm and stay in the game.
Unfortunately, the classic Hunting Rifle has now been vaulted. The rationale is that the new Infantry Rifle has made the Hunting Rifle a little bit superfluous. Other changes include a reduction in damage for the Boom Bow and less frequent Sniper Rifle drops.
As always, be sure to check back with Softonic for the latest updates and news for Fortnite Season 9.
Opera GX is the world’s first gaming browser released by Opera. Try it out for free and enhance your gaming experience.
Opera has always been a cool browser – a turbo mode to speed up page loads, and a free integrated VPN for shielding your activity. The list goes on. It’s great at what it does, there’s no doubt about it, but today it pulled a rabbit out of its hat with Opera GX – the world’s first gaming browser.
Much like the Opera browser is made with user customization in mind, GX is designed for the meticulous gamer. “Opera GX is built for people who love games, and spend a lot of time building their setups,” said Krystian Kolondra, EVP at Opera browsers. “We want to give them a browser to perfectly match their beautiful machines.”
It’s true – every PC gamer worth his salt is proud to run a rig capable of flashy graphics, smooth FPS, and generous RAM. Serious enthusiasts will even opt for multiple GPU integration, water-powered cooling, or glowing keyboards that make you feel like you’re in “The Matrix.” Decking out your hardware is par for the course, but if Opera GX offers new levels of customization through a gaming browser, that’s exciting indeed. “I have a strong feeling this browser will resonate with the gaming world,” said Kolondra. Check out how it aims to do so:
Twitch integration: Follow your favorite channels
GX Control: Limit browser’s CPU and RAM usage
GX Corner: Latest gaming news and deals
Video pop out: Watch video on top of other tabs and applications
SFX: Game-inspired sound effects
Gaming design: Advanced customization and gaming hardware support
Control your gaming experience
“From the startup sounds to the look of the browser’s speed dial, Opera GX was designed to feel at home on any gaming setup,” said Opera GX product director, Maciej Kocembra. Right upon booting it up, GX is visually stunning with crimson streaks, an elegant UI, and dark shadows. As you’d expect, the color palette can be changed to 10 different suggested colors (and 16 million other possibilities courtesy of the extended color picker). GX is about far more than just looking cool, though (we have to admit we do love the aesthetic)! GX is also about being able to comfortably keep a browser up and running while you’re deep in the game, something that until now has always come with the risk of FPS drops and lag.
Choose a variety of different color schemes and wallpapers
“Running a game might require a lot of effort from your machine. Even more so if you are streaming while you play,” said Kocembra. “Before Opera GX, gamers often shut down their browsers in order to not slow down their gaming experience.” Memory-hungry browsers (like Chrome) are notoriously bloated, sapping a lot of power to function at high speeds. “We came up with the GX Control feature to make people’s games run more smoothly,” said Kocembra, “without requiring them to compromise on what they do on the Web.”
The main hub for this is the new GX Control panel, which allows users to choose how much of their computer’s CPU or RAM they want to dedicate to their browser vs their game. There’s a pair of dials (one for RAM, one for CPU) that you can toggle to decide what percentage of your computer’s resources you want to use for each. Trying to play while keeping a strategy guide open? Crank down the dials. Trying to improve your streaming quality? Dial them back up! Opera GX adjusts to stay within whatever constraints you set.
Adjust how much RAM and CPU you want the browser to use.
Smooth streaming
Twitch streaming isn’t the future anymore; it’s the present, especially for younger gamers. Streaming is a lucrative business too, which could make GX a preferred tool for the rising number of professional streamers. Twitch is integrated right into Opera GX, and the browser even lets users log right into their accounts directly from the sidebar. It also notifies you whenever a streamer you follow is going live. It’ll let you keep tabs in real time, and comes with shortcuts to sites like necessary sites like Discord, YouTube, and Reddit.
Seamlessly keep tabs on Twitch, Discord, Reddit, YouTube, and even Netflix.
For gamers and non-gamers
There are over 65 million Opera users, and not all of them are gamers. Like we said before, there’s a lot more draw to Opera than just playing Fortnite. As such, GX includes all the features that brought the browser under the spotlight in the first place: Integration with WhatsApp, Facebook, and Telegram right in the sidebar for easy access. Fans of Opera will also be happy to know that GX retains the popular Video Pop Out function, which will be more handy now than ever since you’ll want to fine-tune and manage your browsing while you’re in-game. You’ll also get the same powerful built-in ad blocker and VPN to keep your browsing session safe, distraction-free, and fast.
There are 1.2 billion PC gamers, and from the sound of it Opera GX is a promising choice for anyone looking for more control and convenience over their experience. Download it here while it’s in Level 1 early access to provide the Opera team with feedback and wish lists. Will you be giving it a try? Let us know in the comments below if this sounds like a browser you’ll be switching to!
Sources say that the game probably won’t be coming out this year. The mobile version also won’t be a port of the main game, but a different game altogether. However, the game still has a feel similar to the original.
The game will have different weapons, runes, and fewer characters.
The move to mobile appears to be an attempt to make more money from the Chinese audience, where the game is quite popular. According to the article, mobile games account for more than half of China’s video game revenue.
We’re excited to see the game come to mobile, we’re just hoping it has the same look and feel of the original game.
Details are very minimal as of now, but we will be sure to keep you updated as they come pouring in!
Which Halo weapons bring us the most joy and inflict the most pain? Read on.
While Halo had incredible music, a memorable narrative, immense replayability, and famous characters like Master Chief and Cortana, the heart of any shooter game is the combat, and the heart of that combat is the game’s weapons. While the Call of Duty franchise went for a more realistic approach in their weapons, the Halo series went for a more arcade style, favoring colorful visuals and a much different approach to gameplay.
The weapons of Halo attributed to much of the game’s color and longevity, being both fun and tactical. While every weapon has its place in Halo, here are 10 that especially stood out:
10. Halo 1 Shotgun
The Halo: CE shotgun was a complete powerhouse.
The shotgun from the original Halo: CE didn’t show up in the campaign until nearly halfway through the game. Fittingly, this is right around when the series first introduces the hideous mutated abominations, the Flood. Zombies, meet shotgun. Suddenly you’ve turned a futuristic FPS game into a horror survival shooter racing through an abandoned alien library. For a game that came out in 2001, it scored some extra points for creativity and versatility.
Health bar? Not looking good. Shotgun in hand? The silver lining.
The shotgun became a staple in every installment in the franchise from that point on, and has been the bane of sword-wielding CQC players ever since. While the weapon has received buffs and nerfs in every subsequent game, we’ll never forget the OG death stick that could knock Banshees out of the sky in a single shot.
Disclaimer: This gun was put in as an easter egg, and has never (and hopefully will never) be seen in a multiplayer environment. The gun looks like a harmless plasma rifle, and you hold it like one too, but it fires like the main cannon on a Covenant Scarab tank. That bright green-blue beam of obliteration that one-shots everything it touches? It’s in your hand now. Have fun.
Was it worth the climb? I mean, yeah.
While the gun has unmatched firepower, that’s not why it made the list: Half the fun of the scarab gun is the journey to acquiring it. Something of an initiation rite for Halo fans, hunting for this superweapon is to embark on a grueling journey: Luring a Banshee, breaking its wings, carefully bumping it along a narrow corridor only to board it as quickly as possible or it’ll disappear before your eyes, negating all your hard work and time spent. When you reach the summit of that bridge and see the gun floating there, though – you’ll feel truly accomplished.
8. Plasma Pistol
Say goodbye to your shields.
There’s a reason we didn’t specify which game we like this weapon best: It’s great in every game, and changes quite a bit from title to title. In the original Halo, you could rapid-fire as quickly as you could pull the trigger, while in Halo 2 the homing capabilities were increased. This led to some really creative options for dual-wield combos in Halo 2 and Halo 3. In Halo 2 (where it was infamously paired with the battle rifle) and Reach, the pistol could also be used to briefly EMP vehicles and turrets, which made it even a (albeit poor) contender for anti-vehicle combat.
If this were Halo 3, that Warthog would be in trouble.
We love the plasma pistol because it’s the underdog of weapons. When a team of enemy players comes barreling after you in a Warthog and you sidestep and hit the jeep with a well-aimed plasma shot only to follow it up with a sticky grenade to the tire? Congrats, you demolished a vehicle with a Grunt weapon. You’ll have to turn your headset volume down because you just made three players very angry.
7. Plasma Grenade
Catch!
Here’s another one where we couldn’t list a specific title, and that’s because this weapon is iconic, a staple in every Halo game. The sticky grenades have long separated noob players from the pros, and in the hands of the latter, these guys can work absolute magic. The plasma grenade is the ‘fling and forget’ that sits in your back pocket, and was so beloved by the community and dev team that it even earned a place in the Halo 3 Believe ad.
That’s one way to make Grunts scary again.
That no heart-sinking moment quite on par with the “oh, s**t” when you see the blue flare and hear the whistling hiss of a plasma grenade stuck to your helmet. The grenades were so popular in the first couple Halo games that Bungie added spike grenades to the lineup in Halo 3. The great thing about any sticky grenade was that even if you ended up with a worthless weapon on spawn, you still had one last trick up your sleeve.
The clip size of this thing in Halo: CE was crazy.
“The assault rifle works really well with the golden three things of Halo,” explained Multiplayer Designer Lars Bakkenin an interview, “which are weapons, grenades, and melee.” When two players face off and both have the assault rifle, the deciding factor ends up being skill – how well you control burst fire, how well you can strafe and shoot, how well you can aim your melee or grenade throw.
Master Chief’s weapon of choice
“The assault rifle’s design language works really well with the Master Chief,” said Weapon Modeler Tom Doyle of the weapon’s iconic silhouette and appearance. Doyle’s was the vision that saw the assault rifle returned to Halo after its absence in Halo 2. “There’s this thing we didn’t really identify in Halo 2,” said Bungie’s Software Design Engineer Adrian Perez in an interview, “that if you spawn everybody with a dual-wieldable weapon like the SMG it changed the game.” Since its triumphant return, the assault rifle has become a mainstay of the series.
5. Sniper Rifle
One headshot to kill, or two body shots.
Sniper Rifles are a popular addition to many FPS games, but the one in Halo holds a special place. Maybe its because you can’t choose to spawn with it, so it becomes a coveted item, maybe it’s because the design and layout of Halo maps so often make the weapon advantageous, maybe it’s because the gun looks freaking sweet and can score you kills from across the map. Whatever the reason, this is one weapon that we couldn’t do without.
As Bungie and 343 brought in larger maps, the weapon became more and more useful.
We’re not alone in thinking this, either; the weapon was popular enough that in later games more varieties of sniper rifle were added: The beam rifle, and later the binary rifle in Halo 4. Additionally, Team Snipers became a popular game type in multiplayer matches, pitting sharpshooter players in 4v4 matches across large maps like Valhalla and Blood Gulch.
The Needler is a wacky Covenant weapon that, like the plasma pistol, underwent some series mutations over the series. Whichever Halo game you’re playing, the Needler will be present, though aspects like fire speed, bloom, reload speed, and homing all change drastically from title to title. Halo 2 players will remember dual-wielding Needlers for instant kills.
Worried this weapon makes you less manly? Doesn’t bother Keyes!
Any way you spin it, the Needler is a grenade on a stick. Hit a player with seven of these sharp pink projectiles and they’ll coalesce into a detonation akin to a plasma grenade. Get the angle and distance right, and you can ambush and eliminate players before they even know what hit them.
3. Halo 2 battle rifle
DMR? Carbine? Light Rifle? The Battle Rifle did it first.
While Halo 2 sadly lacked the assault rifle, it made up for it with the introduction of the battle rifle: A rare burst-fire weapon that FPS players actually like. The battle rifle encouraged mid-long engagements with other players in multiplayer mode, as well as rewarded players who could more consistently land headshots.
Stopping power, accuracy, and versatility all in one package.
While the gun was present in several Halo games, there’s a reason we specifically cited the one from Halo 2: Expert players could exploit a double fire glitch that allowed them to fire two consecutive bursts in a row. If you quickly press fire, then immediately follow up with a held trigger pull, the controller registers the start of the holding and pressing ‘X’ fires both bursts at the same time or in rapid sequence.
2. Halo 2 Energy Sword
Energy Sword and Active Camo at the start? It’s good to be the Arbiter.
One of the most iconic weapon in the series, the energy sword is one of the coolest weapons ever designed. It’s the closest you’ll get to bringing a lightsaber into Halo, and as you might expect it feels about as epic. While the enemy AI could use the energy sword in Halo: CE, the player didn’t get to use it until the sequel … and Bungie went pretty overboard to make it worthwhile. The weapon had a very long reach, and could one-hit kill as soon as the targeting reticle turned red.
“I didn’t mean it!”
In Halo 3 the combat mechanics to the energy sword were reworked to make the weapon a little more fair, and better rewarded more skilled gameplay. A quick pull of the trigger would perform a slow lunge from the maximum distance, while hitting with the melee button hit faster for less distance. Entire sword-based game modes were introduced in Halo 3 and Reach, and sparring against multiple opponents got really cinematic.
1. Halo 1 Magnum
Veteran Halo players, you already knew this was going at the top of the list. From the first time you get to use Captain Keyes’ handgun at the start of Halo 1, all the way into wrecking entire teams with this in the remastered multiplayer, this is the sidearm that you’ll probably use more frequently than your main gun.
On maps like Blood Gulch, it may as well be a sniper rifle.
The magnum underwent some serious changes throughout the series, receiving a massive downgrade in Halo 2, then buffed damage but no zoom in Halo 3, to a really neat silenced version in Halo 3: ODST. By Halo: Reach, the magnum had made a triumphant return as a preferred weapon in SWAT matches, sacrificing the range of the DMR for faster fire and better handling. Pro players in Halo 1 were able to use the gun’s recoil to empty the clip, ending the barrage with a headshot once the enemy shields pop. It wasn’t unusual for pro players to put down a sniper rifle or rocket launcher in favor of this pistol, and for good reason.
Rumble Pit got pretty crazy back on Guardian
Honorable mentions go out to the grenade launcher from Halo: Reach, the elite sentinel beam of Halo 2, and Gravity Hammer from Halo 3, but what’s your favorite Halo weapon? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned with us for more information on the upcoming Master Chief Collection on PC!
These party games will turn every gathering into a hit!
Party games can spice up any hangout!
The best games bring people together with furious competition, help people loosen up as they buckle down for the challenge, and bring out conversation and laughter in the resulting fiasco. If you’re like us, you’ve had great experiences with Exploding Kittens, Codenames, Catchphrase, and more!
With all the growing love for party games, it’s only natural that apps will follow, both new titles and re-creations of the classics. With that being said, which ones are the best?
Honestly, if you haven’t heard of this one yet, where have you been?!
Jackbox games allow an infinite number of players to participate. Once a game opens on a computer or gaming console, each player can use their smart device to join the session. Once everyone’s in, the game begins!
So, what is the party pack?
Jackbox Games makes a wide variety of games and gathers them in sets. One of the more popular titles is Quiplash, a game which pits players against each other in a competition to develop responses to prompts. Or, you may discover Tee-K.O., an anime battle of T-shirt development. Or, among many others, you could brave the ever popular Trivia Murder Party. There, each question answered makes the difference between life and death for your in-game avatar.
Trust us: a whole summer of parties can be filled with Jackbox alone!
Meet Runbow, a personal favorite of ours! This game can be found on consoles and the Steam store. It’s great for one player or as many as eight. You may need to get more controllers, but trust us, it’s worth it!
Enter a whirlwind of side-scrolling confusion where your friends aren’t your enemies, but you’re sure going to get each other killed over and over again while trying to complete each level.
Each race ends quickly after a challenging, hectic dash. You’re never out for long because the game keeps a rapid pace constantly.
It’s got a good soundtrack, various entertaining PvP game types, a “collaborative” story mode, and myriad unlockable characters you just might recognize.
One person holds the phone to their head as phrases appear. Their team must lead them to the right answer. It’s an old game that came around long before phones, but Heads Up artfully turned it into an incredible app that can be taken anywhere and easily played with almost anyone.
Oh, and if you’re interested in a cleaner version, there’s one for kids as well. Both versions only cost about one dollar; not a bad deal for a great, quality party game.
The game is perfectly simple! Upon opening, the game immediately confronts you with the tough “Would You Rather” questions we know and love. Jump right into the action:
This app takes the experience further by letting you know how many others chose your answer. Once you decide, you get a helpful breakdown:
It’s a very easy game to pick up, and you can have fun with it for hours.
This may sound familiar. Evil Apples is an “Apples-to-Apples” type game that combines hilarious and raunchy prompts with humorously heinous responses for shocking adult entertainment.
Basically, it’s “Cards Against Humanity.” However, for whatever reason, C.A.H. never created a digital app. Now, Evil Apples reigns supreme on the Apple app store with 101k likes with a 5-star rating overall.
Not only are you able to bring friends into a new game through Facebook or phone contacts, but you can jump into Quick Play any time with total strangers. We tried it. We planned to hang out for a minute, and stayed for an hour.
Also, if you get tired of the many cards they provide in the vanilla deck, you can “Unlock All Decks Forever” for just $10. That’s a whole lot of content, wrapped up in a well-designed app.
Once again, this may sound familiar. In this game, a group of players controls jello-like avatars. You attempt to throw each other off of objects in a ridiculously gelatinous game of King of the Hill.
It’s a lot of fun, and you’ll be coming back to this one time and time again.
Gang Beasts allows players to jump into matches with other people from around the world, no muss no fuss.
We know what you’re probably saying: did they put Fortnite in there for controversy’s sake, or do they really think it belongs?
To your surprise, this is not a drill.
Love it or hate it, Fortnite is a well-made game available for free, which allows for many types of cross-platform play. These are the facts! If you already enjoy Fortnite or haven’t given it a try yet, the mobile version has a great competitive, online, third-person shooter environment.
So, give a Fortnite party a chance! Avoid the possibly toxic online environments altogether, bring a couple of friends over, and go a few rounds for the battle royale.
We hope you enjoy the games on this list. As we said before, classic party games and brand-new titles are being added all the time. If you have another game to suggest, please comment below and let us know.
Escape room games mostly started off as little flash games on sites like Newgrounds and Addicting Games. More recently they’ve blown up into a huge phenomenon as companies start to created real-life escape rooms.
These are real-life puzzle games where you have a limited time to figure out what you need to do to get out. The video games went from mostly niche flash games to increasingly popular and well-designed escape rooms.
If you’re looking to try some of the games in this subgenre of puzzle adventure games, then you’ll definitely want to check these out:
Not a traditional room escape game, as it gives you a clear backstory as to how you ended up in the house that you’re escaping from. But all the same puzzle mechanics are there, and the story is quite an interesting one. Any room escape fan should have this game on their list, as it has everything any gamer would want.
AlbinoBlackSheep.com might not be a website you’ve heard about in years, but, rest assured, this game is fun.
Mystery of Time and Space is an interesting and well-developed online escape room game that focuses much more on science fiction than other games in this genre. MOTAS is one of the early successes in escape room games.
MOTAS starts with an amnestic character trying to escape a room. Things start to take a turn when time travel becomes accessible to the player. They are able to travel back to previous levels to collect items that will help solve new puzzles. The plot is interesting and definitely worth checking out.
This game is probably the largest escape room from the popular indie company Neutral. While the company has created many escape room games before, none are as ambitious or detailed as Elements. It is in-depth and detailed in ways that many escape rooms aren’t. If you’re looking for a challenge, this game is the way to go.
A great mobile option for room escape fans, DOOORS has dozens of escape levels for you to complete. There aren’t many large escape room games for mobile, so this is one that’ll really capture your attention. The puzzles also range greatly in difficulty and keep you on your toes.
Myst is often credited for being the inspiration for many room escape games. Faraway is the best example of this, as it has taken the exploration and puzzle mechanics of Myst and placed it into an escape room setting. You play as a young explorer trying to uncover the notes that your father left about an ancient civilization in a variety of temples.
Probably the most popular example of escape room games, this series is dark and mysterious just like an escape room should be. The player slowly uncovers more of the story as they solve puzzle boxes in the room they are being held captive. The art and concept are very good, especially in a genre that is dominated by very small indie games.
While most escape room games are made from indie companies, this series was actually created by Spike Chunsoft, a Japanese gaming giant. Each game plays out similar to the Saw films, featuring a group of kidnapped people trying to find a way to escape while being forced to play various life-threatening games. It is the pinnacle of the escape room gaming industry and highly recommended for anyone who’s a fan of this genre.
This is just a small portion of the expansive world of escape room games. If you’re interested in finding more games to play, then you’ll definitely want to check out our Softonic Solutions page where our community offers its recommendations of the best escape room games. You can even make your own suggestions to this list and voice your opinion on each game we chose.
Coming this September, Nintendo will release a new model of the Nintendo Switch. This one will be handheld only and costs $200 ($100 less than the normal model). The new model will be much smaller than the original, but will also have a longer battery life.
Bits are another form of “direct donation.” However, these are officially created by Twitch themselves and are only available to affiliates and above.
Many streamers use their channel to set up personal connections to products. Sometimes this takes the form of advertisements on their channel, which admittedly will be run through Twitch. Oftentimes, streamers can be paid for simply putting something in a video.
