Just finished reading Return of the King, but not sure what book you should pick up next? Luckily, there are several amazing works of fantasy? literature out the?re waiting for you, both within the world of Middle-Earth and beyond it. Let’s look at ten books that Lord of the Rings fans will love.

1. The Silmarillion (J. R. R. Tolkien)

If you love Tolkien’s world and want to discover more about its origins, then the epic myths and histories of The Silmarillion will definitely draw you in. Unlike The Lord of the Rings, which tells its story from the direct point of view of its characters, The Silmarillion takes place over the course of several thousand years. The tale begins with the creation of Arda, of which Middle-Earth is just a small part. It also details the rise of the dark lord Morgoth, to whom Sauron was but a servant, and explains how the heroes of the First Age rose to stop him. You’ll learn about the hidden city of Gondolin and the lost realm of Beleriand. You’ll also find out more about characters like Eärendil, Beren, and Luthien, who are all mentioned in The Fellowship of the Ring.

2. Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth (J. R. R. Tolkien)

Once you’ve finished The Silmarillion, consider diving into Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales next. This book essentially adds extra scenes to the existing narratives, including The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. You’ll learn more about the travels of Tuor during the First Age, get a detailed description of Númenor, and find out what really happened when Isildur lost the One Ring during the disaster of the Gladden Fields. You’ll also get to read about the origins of Rohan, discover why Gandalf was so interested in reclaiming Erebor, and learn more about how the Black Riders found The Shire in their quest to locate the one known as Baggins.

3. The Atlas of Middle-Earth (Karen Wynn Fonstad)

Karen Wynn Fonstad’s Atlas of Middle-Earth is a must-have reference book for any Tolkien enthusiast. Inside, you’ll find detailed maps drawn by ??a professional cartographer that denote where specific moments from the books occurred. Several lines show you where the members of Thorin’s company and the Fellowship were on specific dates within the narrative. There are also drawings of the most iconic monuments and cities, including everything from Lothlórien and Minas Tirith to the inside of Moria and Mount Doom. Other maps give you a closer look at where everyone was during specific conflicts, such as the battle of Helm’s Deep.

4. Beowulf  (Tolkien Translation)

Beowulf is an epic poem from Viking Age England that helped inspire many of the foundational elements of Middle-Earth. It was originally written in Old English by an unknown Christian author and has been translated by numerous scholars, not least of which was Tolkien himself. The culture and language of Rohan has a direct tie to the ancient poem. Frodo’s valor in marching to Mount Doom, despite the assumed deadly nature of his quest, is an element of Tolkien’s story that’s also thematically similar to Beowulf. The version of?? the tale published under Tolkien’s name was released after the professor’s passing ??with the help of his son Christopher.

5. J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century (Tom Shippey)

Tom Shippey’s Author of the Century offers its readers a closer look at just how much care and attention to detail went into the making of Middle-Earth. Though the title might suggest that it’s a Tolkien biography, Shippey’s book is actually more focused on analyzing the themes and literary influences that are present in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. Where did Tolkien’s languages come from, and how are the acclaimed author’s stories tied to Nordic and Saxon mythology? Author of? the Century looks not just at Tolkien’s most popular works but the unpublished manuscripts and letters that he wrote about his world to answer these kinds of questions.

6. Tolkien and the Great War (John Garth)

Readers who are instead interested in taking a closer look at Tolkien’s life will definitely enjoy John Garth’s Tolkien and the Great War. In his early life, the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings fought in World War I. This formative experience had a great influence on his works and helped shape some of their most famous scenes, such as the Battle of Pelennor Fields and Frodo’s passage through the Dead Marshes. The biog?raphical side of Garth’s book backs the neatly written literary analy??sis that follows it and speaks to the power of fantasy escapism in times of crisis.

7. The Chronicles of Narnia (C. S. Lewis)

When Tolkien lived in Oxford, he became close friends with C.S. Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia series. Like Tolkien, Lewis’s writing has also had a major influence on the landscape of modern fantasy and has continued to serve as a gateway to the genre for many younger readers. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first published piece of Lewis’s Narnia series and is, therefore, the best known. The Pevensie children are iconic characters in their own right, but the less often discussed protagonists from the later books, such as Shasta and Eustace, make it worth diving deep into Narnia if you haven’t already.

8. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún (J. R. R. Tolkien)

Tolkien’s love for poetry and songs plays a major role in all his books. Aragorn’s tale of Tinuviel at the foot of Weathertop and Gimli’s verses about the darkness of Khazad-dûm are two examples of how Tolkien uses this medium to help build the history of his fantasy world. Two of Tolkien’s most impressive poems are actually outside the Legendarium, in The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún. This publication draws from Norse mythology and weaves together new legends about classic heroes and villains like Odin, Loki, and Sigmund. It’s just as good a read for Lord of the Rings enthusiasts as it is for fans of the Vikings TV series.

9. The Way of Kings (Brandon Sanderson)

Ready to step away from Tolkien’s works for a bit and try something completely new? Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series has a rich fantasy setting, solid characters, and an engrossing plot that’s sure to keep any Lord of the Rings fan hooked. The story begins in The Way of Kings, which establishes the world of Roshar, details the h??istory of the Knights Radiant orders, and sets readers down in the middle of an enormous conflict. It’s a wonder how no one has turned this one into a movie yet.

10. The Broken Sword (Poul Anderson)

If you enjoy the way that The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion draw from real-world mythology, then you’ll also love The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson. The book takes place in the middle of a war between trolls and elves. It tells the story of the human Skafloc and his quest to reforge the famous sword Tyrfing. According to legend, Thor broke the weapon in order to save the World Tree, Yggdrasil. But in order to put Tyrfing back together, Skafloc must contend with a dark version of himself. Unlike other fantasy books, The Broken Sword?? is not a part of a series. Instead, it tells a comple??te narrative of its own.

The post T??he ??10 Best Books to Read After You’ve Finished Lord of the Rings appeared first on Destructoid.

With news about a possible re-release of the original Sims along with The Sims 2, it’s no wonder gamers are buzzing with excitement. The first two entries in the legendary Sims franchise are some of the most well-loved games of all???????????????????????????? time, and it’s easy to see why.

But, if you’ve never played The Sims 2, you may be wondering what makes it so special. Well, have no fear because we’re here to tell you why it’s the superior Sims game. Here are ten reasons why The Sims 4 just can’t compare to the second game.

Ten Things about The Sims 2 that make it better than The Sims 4

Staying in Hotels

Sims have always been able to enjoy vacation since the first game, but with the variety of vacation worlds only growing, you’d probably think that The Sims 4 has the best vacations in the franchise.

Well, you’d be wrong, and that’s thanks to the hotel system in The Sims 2. Unlike the fourth game, where you can only stay in rentable homes, in the second game, you’re able to check into a hotel room. Hotels are a major part of travel in the real world, so not having them in The Sims 4 is a major missed opp?ortunity. Luckily, you can still enjoy th??em in the second game.

Using Drawers and Cooking Utensils

Sometimes, it’s the small things that make the biggest difference. While not an active interaction, whenever Sims cook at counters in their h?ome or on other lots, they’ll actually open the drawers on counters and pull utensils from them to use. They’re not just flat tex?tures.

Things like this make The Sims 2 feel much more dynamic and alive than the fourth installment. Cooking in The Sims 4 doesn’t feel nearly as alive.

Creating a New World

Don’t have a premade world in-game that you think fits the town you want your Sims to live in? In The Sims 2, that’s not a problem. You can make an entirely new world from scratch, from choosing the name to ??what terrain yo??u want.

Not having the ability to create a world in The Sims 4?? after enjoying it in an older game is just disappointing. You’re limited o?n freedom, and suddenly, the premade worlds just feel so inferior.

Placing New Empty Lots 

Speaking of freedom in world-building, you know what’s not fun about The Sims 4? Running out of lots to build and live on in town. The Sims 2 triumphs over this once again by letting you place ?new empty lots anywhere.

These lots can be any shape and size and be placed wherever you want. Your world can be filled with houses and buildings like a true city instead of premade set dressing.?? 

One-sided Relationships

Something that’s remained exclusive to The Sims 2 is the unique relationship system. Instead of Sims feeling the same ??about each other, one-sided relationships are completely possible. 

Maybe one Sim thinks that the two are the best of friends, while the other ca??n’t stand them. Or perhaps a Sim has a major crush on another, but their feelings simply aren’t returned. ??It makes for much more interesting storytelling, 

Mental Breakdowns

Also known as Aspiration Failures, following your Sims�?dreams isn’t just a suggestion in The Sims 2; it’s a necessity. If their Aspiration Bar gets too low from not fulfilling their wants, Sims quite literally have a mental breakdown and requires a shrink to come cure them. Each different Aspiration even has different wa??rning sig??ns that they’re close to Aspiration Failure.

This feature adds some challenge to the second game, whereas many times The Sims 4 feels frustratingly easy. It ?takes more than just being fed and clean to keep a real person happy, so why would Sims be any different?

Grocery Shopping

I can’t lie; it’s very convenient to walk up to your refrigerator and purchase all the ingredients you need to make your meal. But it’s not very true to life, and that’s something The Sims 2 und??erstands. So, that��s why you can go grocery shopping.

Ye??s, it’s true that you can purchase f??rom grocers at stands in the fourth game, but unfortunately, many of us don’t have access to that in real life. So, it’s much more realistic (and aesthetically pleasing) to take our Sims to a grocery store and pick up everything they need.

Burglars

Coming back to our point of The Sims 4 being too easy, The Sims 2 has another challenge: burglars. These baddies clad in ?stripes will?? break into your Sims�?home, take something valuable like the TV or something unrealistic like a bed, and make off into the night.

It adds more challenge to the game and, in m??y opinion, more excitement. There’s nothing like screaming at your screen to make the cops show up faster to beat up the bandit.

Cutscenes

Major life moments in The Sims 2 are much more memorable, thanks to the addition of cutscenes at certain ?life events. From having a baby to growing up, the second entry in the series makes those special moments all the better.

Sadly, this feature was cut in The Sims 3 and hasn’t been seen since. And no life event has felt as?? ma?gical since.

Social Workers

Being a bad parent has consequences. However, it feels much more realistic in The Sims 2 than in The Sims 4. Unlike the newer game, where neglected children simply disappear in a puff of smoke, The Sims 2 has a social worker come knocking on your d??oor t??o retrieve the child themselves.

Once again, this adds realism and grit to the game, something The Sims 4 is sorely lacking. Everything adds up, and all of these missing features just prove how The Sims 2 is simply better than The Sims 4.

The post 10 features?? that ??make The Sims 2 better than The Sims 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

The Harry Potter video games let you step directly into the Wizarding World and become a part of the magic. With these titles, you can enroll in Hogwarts, learn spells, play Quidditch, and experience the most iconic moments from the books. However, not all Harry Potter games were created equal. Let’s take a look at the franchise’s best moments?? that occurred on console.

12. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2)

Harry’s departure from Hogwarts at the end of the Half-Blood Prince was a major turning point for the series, and to match this change, EA flipped the formula for its Harry Potter video games completely upside down. Though the prior games had largely relied on casual exploration and adventure, the Deathly Hallows games were effectively third-person shooters. The gameplay loop in both of these entries was repetitive and lackluster, but it was occasionally fun to play through the most iconic duels from the book. The ability to apparate during battles and the big cast of playable characters made the second Deathly Hallows game mercifully better than the prior one.

11. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions

Quidditch Champions is reasonably enjoyable sports game that’s somewhat akin to Rocket League, but it’s bogged down by how grindy its currency and hero skin unlock systems are. The rules of the Quidditch matches here don’t actually line up with the source material, and while these changes are largely meant to keep things fair, they end up making Quidditch Champions feel especially distant from the books and movies. The ability to switch between chaser, beater, ??keeper, and seeker at will is at least brilliant. You can pick up and play these position?s with relative ease, but mastering them takes serious work.

10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The top down look at Hogwarts from the Goblet of Fire video game had some interesting ups and downs. On one hand, it made the t?hree tasks from the Triwizard Tournament suitably dangerous and challenging. On the other, it severely limited exploration and made trivial, non-combat spell casts unnecessarily difficult. Though the movie series had at this point already shifted towards a darker tone, the video game was oddly comical in some of the story’s most serious scenes, such as the graveyard at the end. Plus, Ron’s constant obsession with collecting jelly beans sometimes makes you want to?? turn off the sound.

9. Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

Quidditch World Cup was short, whimsical whirl of a game that came out in 2003, between the Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban films. It had straightforward mechanics that quickly got repetitive, but the campaign mode was at least enjoyable. The nine national teams that you could play as, plus their uniquely designed stadiums, felt like a reasonable expansion of the Wizarding World. Each international squad had its own special combo move, and chasing down the golden snitch was definitely thrilling. This one won’t keep you glued to the screen for nearly as long as the much more recent Quidditch Champions, but what the game does hav??e to o??ffer can definitely be fun for fans of the series.

8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

The video game adaption of the first Harry Potter movie set up EA’s basic formula for the initial three games in the series. To cast magic, you’d simply need to point your wand at the spell symbols on the sides of moveable objects or locks. This system worked reasonably well, except in Sorcerer’s Stone, it required you to stand in place while you were ca??st??ing a spell. And about 90 percent of the time, that spell was Flipendo. There were several book moments in the video game that didn’t make it into the film, such as Harry and Hermione’s nighttime journey up to the astronomy tower, and the final potions challenge that was guarding the Stone.

7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The expansive version of Hogwarts available in the Half-Blood Prince video game is a ton of fun to explore. The recognizable characters make the castle feel welcoming and homey, and the awkward romances from the book and the movie make for funny breaks from casting spells. The Quidditch matches and potion-mixing challenges are also enjoyable. Where the game falls short is in its dueling system, which is easily exploitable if you’re mashing your controller’s buttons fast enough. In addition, there could have been a wider array of collectables to find. The reduction of everything to house crests and mini-crests was a step back from the variety found in Order of the Phoenix.

6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron and Hermione are just as much the protagonist of the? game as Harry himself. The members of the trio each had their own spell and spell challenge, and group casts were essential for solving some of the puzzles. The extra candy-based currencies made collecting wizard cards more enjoyable, and the platforming was solid. What held this one back was the uselessness of the added spells compared with the prior game. The ability to freeze water with Glacius was lackluster, and transforming statues into rabbits and dragons was too niche to feel useful.

5. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

The giant map of Hogwarts and wizarding London, plus the huge selection of playable characters, make LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 a must play for fans of the franchise. The UI and animations are considerably smoother than the first LEGO Harry Potter, and the soundtrack from the final four movies gives the game some serious shine. However, there’s a bit of a mismatch between the goofy LEGO formula and the darker, more adult tone from the Order of the Phoenix and two Deathly Hallows films. In a recent playthrough, I also fo?und the multiplayer split-screen to be a bit disorienting. Overall though, the game is?? a magical experience.

4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The Order of the Phoenix altered the course of the Harry Potter video game series by offering significantly more open exploration and a wider variety of side activities?? than the earlier games. The castle was much larger, had tons of awesome secret passages, and actually looked familiar to anyone who had already seen the movies. Mini-games like Gobstones and Wizard Chess were also a great addition that sadly didn’t reappear in the next game. Actors from the films, such as Rupert Grint, who played Ron, and Tom Felton, who played Draco, also reprised their roles. The Wii version of the game had decent dueling, but on platforms like PC it was much more difficult to master.

3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The platforming, spell casting, and environmental lighting from Chamber of Secrets made it a great game for its time. The Spongify spell opened up lots of vertical exploration within the castle, and Rictusempra introduced us to some light, enjoyable combat. You could also learn Lumos, Flipendo, and Alohomora in the early stages without much fanfare, which made it feel like you were picking things up right where you’d left them at the end of Sorcerer’s Stone. The showdown with Aragog and the final level in the actual Chamber of Secrets was a pitch-perfect level of difficulty. Plus, the soundtrack was solid, and helped g??ive Hogwarts a comforting?? yet mystical feel.

2. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is an incredibly charming experience that’s full of fun spells, silly humor, and satisfying collectables. The levels in the front half of the game, which adapt the Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets, are cozy and inviting. In the later two years, it’s all about puttin??g what you’ve learned to good use. Unlike the movie tie-in games, the spell wheel here works flawlessly. Plus, switching between the characters you’ve unlocked actually makes sense since you need to brew Polyjuice Potion to do it. I personally also enjoyed how the weather and behavior of the students changed within the Hogwarts hub zone as you progressed from book to book.

1. Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy has just about everything that a Harry Potter fan could hope for in a game. The ability to create your own character, join the house of your choice, and wander around the corridors truly make you feel like you’re a student at the school. Discovering small details from the books hidden in corners of the castle is also a blast. You can enter the Forbidden Forest, properly explore the village of Hogsmeade, and use a much wider array of spells for dueling than in earlier titles. The Merlin Trials system alone can keep you engaged for several hours. The only real knock against the game is that there’s no Quidditch. But  even if Hogwarts Legacy isn’t completely perfect, it??’s definitely the most magical version of the video game Wizarding World that we’ve received so far.

The post The 12?? Best Harry Potter Video Games of All Time, Ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

Coffee tab?le books are the fishing trophies of the literary world. The ideal coffee table book is a nonfiction photo book about a specific, interesting subject, just the sort of thing you'd want to leave on your coffee tab??le to entertain guests.

There's a coffee table book on everything these days, including and maybe especially video games. This breed of coffee table book covers a lot of fascinating ?territory. Some are entertaining autobiographies about some of the industry's biggest names, while others are insightful chronicles delving i??nto some of the most intriguing chapters of gaming history.

If you're hunting for the perfect readable display piece for your gaming room coffee table, you've come to the right place??. Here are our top ten coffee table books for gaming guests.

10. Square Enix Final Fantasy VII Remake: Material Ultimania

Final Fantasy VII Reborn is a game drowning in details. From the sharp turns the remaster’s story takes from the original’s to the insane scale and comple??xity of the characters and environment, it’s a game that constantly ??leaves you wishing you could see everything at a closer angle. Guess what? You can!

Final Fantasy VII Reborn Material Ultimania peels back the veil, exploring FFVII Reborn’s development cycle in vivid detail. It’s full of pictures from every phase of the game’s production, giving readers a clear view of early concept art, costume reference photos, and music sheets. Snippets of commentary from the game’s staff accompany these photos, and they reveal how they tackled the mammoth task of recreating one of the most iconic entries in the Final Fantasy franchise.

9. Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977 by Jordan Minor

If the vitriol spawned by Astro Bot’s (well-deserved) victory at th?e 2024 Game Awards is anything to go by, gamers can get very passionate when the words “best game of the year�?come up in conversation. With so muc??h anger swirling around the topic, it’s essential to step back and remember how fun the debate over which game best represents gaming in the year it came out can be,

Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977 has a mouthy title, but it’s an easy read. Minor’s examination of his favorite games of the year is dense but easy to read. He goes beyond just talking about the good graphics or fun gameplay. He takes a big-picture stance, judging his ??subjects by how they broke the rules and brought gamers together. It's also got some hilariously charming illustrations.

8. An Illustrated History of 151 Video Games by Simon Barkin

If you’ve got a friend coming over who loves to regale you with fun bits of gaming history, leave An Illustrated History of 151 Video Games out in plain sight. What you see on the cover is what you get; what you get is a version of gaming history told in one hundred and fifty-o?ne pages, each ful?l of unique trivia and artwork about a particular game.

An Illustrated History of Video Games is a love letter to gamers of all ages. Parkin crams the most striking pieces of artwork from every game he covers onto its dedicated page, and the trivia he tosses in covers ??everything from fascinating development drama to tips about uncovering the games??�?secrets. Trust me, that virtual historian friend of yours will be busy.

7. The GBA Pixel Book by Bitmap Books

The words Gameboy Advance can bring many things to mind, but when I hear them, I always think about the beautiful pixel art developers packed into its 240-by-160 screen. If you feel the same way or know someone who does, pick up The GBA Pixel Book by Bitmap Books.

This art book contains beautifully rendered photos of the finest pixel art from the GBA library. Covering over two hundred and forty titles, this tomb covers system-defining best-sellers like Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald to more obscure, region-exclusive titles like CIMA: The Enemy. From sweeping screenshots of Mother 3’s Nowhere Island to sprite-by-sprite breakdowns of Final Fantasy 6’s bestiary, this book is a pixel art ??lover's dream put to print.

6. BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development by BioWare

BioWare is going through a rough patch right now, but that doesn't change the fact that the developer produced some of the most impactful RPGs ever. If you’ve ever asked yourself what went on behind the walls of one of gaming’s biggest juggernauts, BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development deserves a spot on your coffee table.

Wrapped in a black glossy sleeve, BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development covers a quarter-of-a-century’s worth of fascinating history. The book takes you on a boots-on-the-ground tour through the company’s history, chronicling their journey from making Shattered Steel to gaining the rights to make the game that would become Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom �?The Complete Official Guide: Collector's Edition by Piggyback

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a game that makes you feel like a goldfish plopped into the waters of Lake Erie. The sheer scope of t??he game’s three-tiered overworld and the depth of its construction mechanics never leave you?? feeling short on wonder, but it can make it an intimidating game for some players.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom �?The Complete Official Guide: Collector's Edition is one of the best books a Zelda fan can have. This beauti?ful black-sleeved tomb plots out the best outline for a newcomer’s journey through Hyrule. It has fantastic advice, and all of it’s accompanied by screenshots of the game’s most beautiful locales, intimidating enemies, and emotional moments.

4. A Handheld History: A Celebration of Portable Gaming by Lost in Cult

Can we all agree that handheld consoles are one of the best inventions made by human hands? Several best-selling video game consoles are handhelds, and their genealogy remains a fascinating lens through which to look at the industry’s evolution. If you want to do that, might I suggest A Handheld History: A Celebration of Gaming History?

This book got everything a fun romp through the annals of gaming history needs. It’s informative, with a dedicated page for almost every handheld console ever molded, from the Ata?ri Lynx to the Nintendo DS.?? Accompanying these tidbits of trivia are endearing doodles of some of gaming’s greatest mobile juggernauts.

3. From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades Of Video Game Horror by Bitmap Books

If I had to name a game genre that spat in the face of rules, I’d pick horror every time horror. From campy to gruesome to psychological, horror games can embody a colorful spectrum of moods and topics. If you’re as much of a horror game enthusiast as I am, get a copy of From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror.

This little black book is a treasure trove of horror gaming knowledge. Spanning sixty years of gaming, the tome explores the evolution of horror in video games from the days of 3-D Monster Maze to modern thrillers like Subnautica, buoyed by exclusive commentary from some of the genre�?�s greatest pioneers.

2. A History of Video Games in 64 Objects by the World Video Game Hall of Fame

A History of the World in 100 Objects is one of the best coffee table books, and if you’ve read it, you know why. There’s something unbelievably cozy about seeing human history personified by everyday objects. Now, imagine if someone took this approach to capturing the history of video games. That’s how we get A History of Video Games in 64 Objects.

This one’s got something for everyone. Whether you’re a classic a?rcade gamer or a connoisseur of the contemporary gaming scene, you’ll find a page that covers one of your gaming fixations.

1. The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox

When I started putting this list together, I asked myself, “What does the ultimat??e gaming coffee table book need to do to earn that title?�?After a bit of soul-searching, I decided that the best coffee table book about video games should cater to as many gamers as possible. As soon as I figured that out, I knew which book would take the number one spot.

The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox is THE coffee table book for gamers. This up-to-date compendium of every gaming console ever made features deep lore cuts that will surprise even the most game-savvy visitor. Put this bad boy in your guest room and watch your guests lose themselves in its?? pages.

The post 10 Best coffee table books for video gamers appeared first on Destructoid.

The Nintendo Switch is getting a lot of attention again, especially with the January 2025 announce?ment o?f the Switch 2's development. With the Switch 2's release later this year and new titles coming out for various beloved series, this year is already looking exciting.

Whether you've been watching the latest updates for games ??????????????????????????announced years ago or are looking forward to unexpected launches later in the year, ther?e's plenty to look forward to in the coming months. Let's check out some of the most highly anticipated games on Nintendo Switch and the Switch 2 in 2025.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Starting things off is one of the most highly anticipated Nintendo games of the past few years, Metroid Prime 4. Initially announced at E3 ??2017??, with its development restarting in 2019, it wasn't until June 2024 that we got an official announcement trailer revealing a 2025 release date.

Although Metroid Prime 4's trailers haven't dove too deep into the game's lore or specific mechanics, knowing it still exists is enough to stir up some hype. There's no word on its exact date yet, but between the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Metroid Dread, Metroid Prime 3's launch all the way back in 2007, and Metroid Prime Remastered coming out two years ago, knowing the window for the fourth's release already ramps up the anticipation beyond belie?f.

Guilty Gear -Strive-

At long last, we're getting a Guilty Gear game on the Nintendo Switch. Although the original got ported to Switch in 2019, we haven't seen other entries go far beyond PC, PlayStation, and traditional arcade machines until now. It's even available right now, launching on January 23, 2025.

We may have had Guilty Gear Strive on PC and PlayStation for a few years now, with Xbox arriving shortly after, but there's something satisfying about having plenty of options to choose from. If its original launches didn't drive up the anticipation, the possibility of more Guilty Gear ports coming in the future afte??r this is enough to feel hyped.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition

It's already been almost ten years since Xenoblade Chronicles X originally launched. What better way to celebrate its 10th anniversary than to launch a remaster the same year a new Nintendo Switch is releasing? Although it doesn't quite match the exact date, you'll be able to try this latest entry even earlier on March 20, 2025.

Whether you're looking to relive old memories of the original Chronicles X or loved Xenoblade 3 so much that ??you're optimistic about the re??master's enhanced features, everyone's anticipating this to carry the torch well.

The next Mario Kart entry

It's been a while since there's been this much hype for a new Mario Kart game, and it isn't even from an official announcement trailer. Instead, its initial appearance is in the first Switch 2 teaser, paving the way for speculation on what this title is and whether it's Mario Kart 9. There's no word from Nintendo on what this entry is, but knowing a Mario Kart 9 release in 2025 could be on the hori??zon certainly sparks some excitement.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Sanrio fans, it's time to rejoice as Hello Kitty Island Adventure expands to the Nintendo Switch and PC on January 30, 2025. Although it's been around on iOS since 2023, you'll be able to meet Hello Kitty and her friends in this cozy Animal Crossing-like game at the beginning of the year, with PS4 and ??PS5 versions coming out later in the year. If you're a fan of Hello Kitty, this one is for you.

The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy

As a long-time Danganronpa fan, I instantly recognized its style and almost thought we were getting a sequel. I pushed those thoughts aside quickly, especially after seeing The Hundred Line Last Defense Academy's grid-based f??ighting and twist on a familiar apoca?lyptic storyline.

Not much is known about it yet, but Too Kyo Games has confirmed it'll launch on April 24, 2025, giving us a few months to learn about t?his?? new world and its inhabitants.

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered

Remember last year when we got a remastered collection of the first three Tomb Raider games? If you were hyped for that, Aspyr has another surprise with a second collection targeting the fourth, fifth, and sixth installments. Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is coming quickly, arriving on the Nintendo Switch and several other platforms on February 14, 2025.

This is one of those collections I'd gift to a friend or family member so they can go on a nostalgia trip, especially considering how unpolished these were compared to the first three games. I'm looking at you, Angel of Darkness.

Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game

I'll come right out and say it; I'm a sucker for relaxing, cozy games, especially if it's in a world like Middle-earth. Exploring the pleasant day-to-day side of Hobbit life is a nice change of pace, and we'll all be able to experience it on March 25, 2025.

While some of us love to take trips down nostalgia lane, dream of more games from our favorite series, or take on some fighting games, others get just as hyped over farming, cooking, and fishing all day in their games. Either that, or you're a Lord of the Rings fan, which is just as good of a reason to feel excited to tr?y a new game.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

It wouldn't be a year of growing anticipation for Switch games without including an upcoming Pokemon game. Although there's no confirmed release date yet, Game Freak and The Pokemon Company have confirmed that the latest installment to the series, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, is coming out sometime in 2025.

Currently, little information is provided about Pokémon Z-A's new gameplay mechanics and story outside of i??ts taking place in Lumiose City, Kalos. However, we'll likely see Mega Evolutions return, much like in Gen 6, where this setting was originally introduced, so that alone is worth getting excited over.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2

2025 may seem like another year of remakes, remasters, and collections, with Capcom Fighting Collection 2 being among the ever-growing bunch. Th?is is another one with no confirmed release date yet, but we know these early 2000s entries will arrive sometime this year.

??Here's the full list of ga?mes included in the collection:

• Capcom vs. SNK Millenium Fight 2000 Pro
• Capcom vs. SNK 2 Mark of the Millenium 2001
• Project Justice
• Capcom Fighting Evolution
• Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper
• Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein
• Power Stone
• Power Stone 2

First the Marvel vs. Capcom Collection, and now this gem. This one is another opportunity to e?xperience a trip down memory lane or learn more about the Golden Era of fighting games through some of the most well-known entries of their time.

The post The 10 most antici??pated? Nintendo Switch games of 2025 appeared first on Destructoid.

The best Kingdom Hearts characters have a ton of personality, have been through hardship, or simply have powerful abilities that dynamically elevate the series' battle scenes. A key element why Kingdom Hearts resonates with so many people is not just the non-stop ac??tion; but the passion behind the cast's moti?vations.

Characters like Sora and Rox?as aren't afraid to express their emotions: to cry, to scream, to love, to smile. Many of the legendary series characters are more intriguing than the average RPG cast, and it's refreshing to see heroes, (or in some rare cases, villains), that we can relate to.

Warning: There are spoilers for Kingdom Hearts 2, Kingdom Hearts 3, and Kingdom Hearts 3: Remind in this list.

15) Xigbar/Luxu

One of the best factors of the Kingdom Hearts narrative is how it intrigues its fans with subtle nods and mystery. Xigbar is certainly one of those characters that make you think. If you've played and finished Kingdom Hearts 3, you'll know that he is in fact Luxu, the Master of Masters' right-hand man. His witty humor makes him a great foil for Sora, and his boss battle in KH2 is phenomenal.

14) Goofy

Despite his clumsy origins in cartoon form, Goofy is a reliable ally for Sora. He's the one in the Keyblade H?ero 3 that gives the spiky-haired hero valuable advice and is the level-headed person in the group. Without fail, he's always there for his friends and knows when to pack a punch when it's time to go to battle.

13) Donald Duck

Although Donald Duck sometimes forgets to heal us when we need him most, he's the best ally anyone could ask for. He c??omes in clutch?? for Sora time and time again as the group's reliable mage. Sure, he's a little hot-tempered, but that's just one of the many reasons why we love him. Someone's got to stand up for Sora, right?

12) Naminé

When Naminé first appeared in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, she came off as a mysterious force with her peculiar ties to Organization XIII. Bit by bit, we started to see her significance in the KH lore, especially during the end stages of Kingdom Hearts 2. While she still has a bit of mystery to her, her complexity makes her shine, and it's only made me all the?? more curious about her enigmatic nature.

11) Master Xehanort

Xehanort's presence is felt in almost every Kingdom Hearts entry, a testament to his significant influence on the series. He e??ven has a whole arc named after him,?? with the Xehanort Saga, also known as the Dark Seeker Saga. It totally makes sense why, considering that he's pretty much the major antagonist for the entire series. He's the big bad that everyone's afraid of, including his multiple forms with Ansem, Xemnas, and many more.

10) Master of Masters

We really don't know much about the Master of Masters, but from his few appearances so far, fans have been intrigued by his presence. He seems to have everything planned with the Book of Prophecies in his mind and has a strangely goofy (not our pal Goofy) vibe from him. His personality makes him such an odd antagonist and the intrigue makes him one of the best Kingdom Hearts characters.

9) Ventus

Since Ventus basically looks like a carbon copy of Roxas, he sometimes gets overshadowed by Kingdom Hearts 2's main protagonist. But let's not forget that Ventus is a major protagonist, himself, with his crucial part in Birth by Sleep. As an apprentice to the legendary Master Xehanort and Eraqus, you already know he's a force to be reckoned with. You can even consider him as one of the most powerful Kingdom Hearts characte??rs, alongside his other two co??mpanions, Terra and Aqua.

8) Xemnas

Xemnas is a badass antagonist in Kingdom Hearts 2. The Organization XIII leader has dual blade?s, and his laser swords would put even Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul to shame. Xemnas is also an antagonist who has a just cause for his actions. He wants himself and his fellow Nobody Organization members to have hearts again but can only do so by making Sora defeat the Heartless. Therefore, he causes chaos throughout the worlds.

7) Xion

Xion is another Nobody stuck with a dreaded path ahead of her. Those who have played 358/2 Days know that she's a fun, charismatic character who's similar to Sora in many ways. Roxas and Axel get to know her throughout the game as she struggles to wield the keyblade. The story behi??nd her existence is a fascinating mystery that begins to unravel as the days continue. By the end, your heart will be broken as a friendship is torn apart by fate.

6) Terra

Compared to Ventus and Aqua, Terra often gets a bad rap as one of the more 'gullible' protagonists of Birth by Sleep. However, if you take a closer look, you'll realize just how exceptional he is. Terra's ability to see the good in people, akin to Sora, and his willingness to learn from his m??istakes, adds to his realism as a character. His flaws do not define him, but rather, they contribute to his growth and development, making him a relatable and compelling character.

5) Aqua

Another character Kingdom Hearts fans love (myself included!) is Aqua. She is strong-willed, disciplined, and has a sharp wit about her that few other Kingdom Hearts characters possess. She has a stern exterior, but when it comes to her friends, she will do anything in her power to protect them, especially Ven, who drifted to sleep for a decade before she could rescue him again. She's one of the best Kingdom Hearts characters in?? my mind because of her adept abilities and strength.

4) Axel/Lea

Axel (or Lea) is a Nobody that nearly everyone loved as soon as he appeared on-screen. He has a rambunctious personality and likes to work outside the lines. His unpredictable nature and break-the-rules flair helped him gain a buddy in Roxas. He also goes through a tragic story as he's forced to take out his own best friend, who has lost their memories. Axel is just plain one of the best Kingdom Hearts characters: "Got it memorized?"

3) Roxas

The character that has arguably lost the most in the Kingdom Hearts series is Roxas. He loses his friends, has his body completely taken away from him, and is told that he was never meant to exist. It's quite tragic! During his time in Twilight Town, he tries to think positively. He is loyal to his frie?nds like Hayner and Axel.

However, Roxas is less trusting of others than Sora in many ways. It makes for a refreshing change of pace from Sora's happy-go-lucky approach. He's more critical, able to think on his feet, and is a sharp wise-cracker. He also has a wonderfully dramatic theme song. Hopefully, we get another game wi??th Roxas again, his badass d?ual-wielding style included.

2) Sora

To some, Sora can be a nuisance. He's loud and obnoxious at times. However, what makes Sora one of the best Kingdom Hearts characters is his compassion for others. Unlike many video game protagonists, he is willing to show his feelings. He begs on his knees to see Kairi again towards Organization XIII member Saix. He cries when the Guardians of Light fail in one fell swoop in Kingdom Hearts 3. 

That willingness to show his emotions, within a genre filled with masculine protagoni?sts, is a breath of fresh air. He's supe??r relatable.

1) Riku

It can be argued that Riku has the most character progression of all of the cast in the KH series. He grew accustomed to the darkness as Maleficent convinced him to twist him into a servant. He betrayed his best friend Sora for the wellbeing of Kairi (even fighting against him). Then, after Xehanort's Heartless took over his body, Riku suffered for a long time, even taking the form of th??e person he hates.

But he took that form to protect Sora and fight off the powerful (and angry) Roxas. Riku has an amazing character arc as he tries to reconcile his past mistakes. His struggle is the reason why he's the best Kingdom Hearts character.

The post Best Kingdom Hearts Characters, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

I forged most of my best theater-going memories when I went to the local cinema to see the film adaptation of a book I enjoyed??. However, whenever I watch one of these movies, I can't help but think about all the fantastic books that remain untranslated onto t??he silver screen.

Full disclosure: I don't think every good book, even the all-time greats, deserves a movie adaptation. Some of the best books I've read stuck with me because they embraced the unique strengths of printed media. I also remember what it's like to watch one of those based-on-a-book movies: the all-too-common cinematic adaptation that utterly, agonizingly fails to re-capture the spirit of the stories they're inspired by. Looking at you, 2011's Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Whether you're a?? bookworm searching for books with cinematic potential or an aspiring fil??mmaker seeking top-tier material, here are the ten books we'd like to see adapted into a movie.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

House of Leaves is one of the most challenging books I’ve ever read, and that’s entirely because it reads like a puzzle. Danielewski weaves a mind-melting story-within-a-story that constantly ?leaves you wondering where the concrete, descriptive prose ends and the delusional rambling of our unreliable transcriber begins. When I put it down, I felt like all the walls in my house had eyes and were closing in on me.

Of all the proposed book-to-film adaptations on this list, I’ll admit a House of Leaves movie has the most potential to go wrong. However, a well-versed studio like A24 or an independent filmmaker like Kane Pixels could translate House of Leaves into a spine-animating analog horror film. Projects like the Mandela Catalog and Skinamarink have rocketed this genre into popularity, and there are already some fantastic House of Leaves-inspired animations that show us what a film adaptation c?ould look like.

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

I’m not a big fan of books about time travel, and that’s entirely my fault. Even Avengers Endgames�?straightforward take on time-hopping makes my head buzz, but I like it when a book uses time travel to explore characters and their relationships. This Is How You Lose The Time War does this well, and I could see it being made into a fun romance movie.

Framed as a series of letters written by Red and Blue, star-crossed soldiers fighting a multiversal war on opposing sides, This is How You Lose the Time War does creative things with perspective and chronology that opens up many opportun??ities for an ambitious director. The special effects budget would be astronomical, but I can already see some fantastic scenes where Red and Blue’s words play over a backdrop of a dying world, ancient tombs, and 20th-century coffee shops.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Contemporary retellings of classic Greek myths always impress me, but The Song of Achilles is one of those rare reinterpretations that outshines the original tale. Drawing on undercurrents that were always present in the original myth, Miller reframes the tragic story of Achilles into a parable about LGBTQ+ self-discovery and forbidden romance that stay?s true to the timeless appeal of ancient Greek storytelling.

In the hands of a talented director, a film based on The Song of Achilles would easily be blockbuster material. The battle-scarred walls of Troy, practically built or computer-generated, would provide the perfect opportunity for Oscar-worthy low-and-high-angle shots. The chance to pl??ay Achilles, Patroclus, and Briseis could also bring in top-shelf ta??lent.

Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landry

I always start sweating when I hear rumors that one of the many young-adult fantasy novels I read growing up is being made into a movie. From 2014’s Seventh Son to 2020’s Artemis Fowl, the list of disappointing cinematic adaptations of fantasy YA fantasy novels is about as long as the trail to the peak of Mount Everest. That said, I still hope we’ll get a Skulduggery Pleasant movie someday.

With a delightfully macabre take on the time-tested “young protagonist stumbles into a hidden magical world�?premise, a Skulduggery Pleasant movie could appeal to a broader audience than most YA fantasy film adaptations. For a dream scenario, I'd choose an animated Skulduggery Pleasant film adaptation?? ove??r a live-action one. Since one of the two main characters is a walking, talking skeleton in a snazzy suit, I think it’d be best to lean into the series' quirkiness with some stylized 2-D animation.

Fun fact: if I’d written this list last year, I would’ve also included Fablehaven somewhere.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Plenty of books tackle themes of friendship and camaraderie, but few touch on that awkward gray area on the border of platonic and romantic love. Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, is one of those books, and I love it to bits (and bytes). It’s a refreshing take on the typical “boy meets girl�?story, combin?ing excellent character writing, solid pacing, and video game programming lingo into one outstanding package.

A movie based on Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow wouldn’t be that difficult to make, bu??t it would ??face some unique issues. I could see some audiences getting frustrated with the story since it intentionally ducks many traditional romance tropes. Luckily, the book’s funny and emotional enough to compensate for that.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkaine Braithwaite

With a book titled My Sister, The Serial Killer, the adage “you can't judge a book by its cover�?loses some of its power. This black co??medy gives you precisely what it promises on the sleeve: a black comedy romp about a woman struggling to keep her sister’s chronic murderous tendencies under control. It’s horrifying, hilarious, and ripe for a movie adaptation.

My Sister, The Serial Killer, would be a fantastic black comedy film. The book made me crack up more than a few times,?? and the jokes would land even harder, delivered by a talented cast. It also has a pretty solid mystery at the core of its plot that would encourage repeat watches.

Nueromancer by William Gibson

Neuromancer is one of the most influential science-fiction books ever printed. It’s not the first cyberpunk novel, but its success established the genre as a cornerstone of speculative fiction, paving the way for the success of Blade Runner, Shadowrun, Cyberpunk 2077, and countless other projects. So, why h??asn’t it gotten a movie yet?

Studios have been trying to make a Neuromancer film for decades, but an unkempt menagerie of production issues has caused? every attempt to crash and burn. I can see why; it has a massive cast of characters and a lot of technological exposition, ??which made it hard to keep track of what was happening while I was reading. This would probably be one of those adaptations that would benefit from being unfaithful to the source material.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I’ll admit it: I was skeptical about A Court of Thorns and Roses when it made its grand comeback in 2020. But after more than a few friends reco??mmended it to me, I finally read it. I still have a few issues with it, but I’d be lying if I said I didn't find myself drawn into its visceral world of fey fiefdoms, magical plagues, a??nd risque romance. With all its popularity, I’m genuinely surprised it hasn't gotten a movie yet.

A Court of Thorns and Roses film would pull enormous crowds on name recognition alone. Even a middling adaptation would be fun to see on the big screen, but with the right combination of cast and crew, we could end up with one of those rare book-to-movies that surpasses the original book. A world as beautiful as Prythian would benefit from cinematic-scale visual st?orytelling, and a powerhouse pair of leads could deliver some epically steamy performances ??as Ferye and Tamlin.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Have you ever looked back on your past decisions, wishing you’d made a different choice somewhere along the road? What would your life look like if you’d asked out that cute face at the coffee shop or applied for that job you weren’t sure about? That concept is what The Midnight Library? is all about, and I think plenty of people would watch a movie based on it.

The Midnight Library has a fant??astic setting that I’d love to see visualized in a movie. These themes also feel relevant in today’s world since so many people question their life choices and wonder if everything they’ve done up to this point was worth it.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guinn is one of the best writers in history, but most of her work has remained confined to print. Filmmakers have adapted her seminal Tales of Earthsea saga a few times, but these retellings have fallen short. If I had to venture a guess, these failures are why we don't have a film adaptation of her magnum opus, The Left Hand of Darkness.

The Left Hand of Darkness is a phenomenal science-fiction story that asks challenging questions about gender, cultural barriers, and the importance of seein?g the world from new perspectives. It also has action, suspense, betra?yal, and romance. In short, it’s everything a tremendous based-on-a-book movie needs.

The post 10 books that should be made into a movie appeared first on Destructoid.

The best farming board games make cultivating the land, harv??esting crops, and constructing new buildings an absolute blast. They often rely on engine building and worker placement mechanics, and will typically require you to think carefully about how you’re going to spend your resources. In this list, we’re highlight??ing the best board games with farming as a central aspect of both theme and gameplay.

10. Stardew Valley: The Board Game

The board game adaption of Stardew Valley brings just about every mechanic from its source materi??al to the table, including fishing, mining for ore, and making friends in town. Players work together to grow crops and raise animals around their farm and must attempt to complete the objective cards that their grandfather has assigned them. When you befriend people, you’ll get heart tokens that you can take to the community center to reveal end-game goals. There’s significantly more urgency in the board game than in the video game since there’s a turn limit for each season. Up to four players can join the fun, but the solo mode is equally pleasant.

9. Fields of Arle

Fields of Arle is one of the most complex farming board games out there, and requires you to plan how you’re going to use and develop your land very carefully. Resource management is particularly vital since items such as flax and timber will come in handy for a wide variety of building projects. You’ll also need to think carefully about where you’re going to keep your animals and how you’re going to ship your goods. If you enjoy challenging decision points and games with a ton of different scoring opportunities, then Fields or Arle is definitely for you. A solo game typically only takes about an hour an?d can be an im?mensely satisfying experience.

8. Photosynthesis

Interested in trying a board game with a slightly different theme from classic agriculture and livestock farming? Photosynthesis is a great tabletop title that makes planting and growing trees a competitive puzzle. The game begins with each player putting down two small trees from their arbor along the edge of the board. As the rounds progress, the sun will move around the?? cente?r area, and everyone will collect light points for the trees they have that aren’t sitting in the shade. The best places to plant your trees depend significantly on what everyone else is doing since your trees can prevent your opponents from collecting points, and vice versa.

7. Fields of Green

If you’re looking for a farming board game with a card drafting mechanic, then Fields of Green might be the perfect addition to your tabletop collection. At the start of each round, you’ll only be able to draw from three of the four available stacks of project cards, which are s??eparated by type. Livestock, constructions, buildings,?? and fields all offer different benefits for your farm. The trick is finding the best available combination of them. The player with the most economic success by the end of the fourth round is the winner. The short play times and mid-weight complexity make this one a perfect choice for family game nights.

6. Red Outpost

Red Outpost follows the destiny of a Soviet colonizat??ion effort on a planet in a remote solar system, far from Earth. There are a handful of workers that everyone will collectively control and a number of interesting spaces for the players to send them to throughout the game’s two multi-phase rounds. When you ??produce crops and other resources, the happiness of the worker you set to this task will decrease. If the worker has a negative happiness score at the end of the round, and you have the most influence over them, you’ll lose victory points. In addition, the crops will go to the grain storehouse rather than to your personal supply. The unique mechanics of Red Outpost make it a farming game like no other.

5. Takenoko

In Takenoko, players grow plots of bamboo, build irrigation systems, and feed the panda that roams across the game’s tiles. Each round after the first, they’ll also roll the weather dice to determine how the sun, rain, and wind will affect everyone’s prospects. Your goals in the game can shift completely depending on which objectives you draw. These cards reward you for things like your tile placement and the height of your bamboo stalks. You can hold up to five of them at once, and in order to end the game, you’ll need to complete between seven and nine of them, depending on the number of players. The variability and relaxed pace of Takenoko make it a great farming-themed board game.

4. Clans of Caledonia

Clans of Caledonia is a classic engine-building board game that starts players off with a small plot of land in 19th-century Scotland. Over the course of the game’s five rounds, players will increase the size of their industry, sell their goods, and invest in the game’s various scoring opportunities. In keeping with the Scottish theme, Clans of Caledonia als?o lets you set up your very own whiskey distillery, which helps the entire game feel more unique. You can also change up? the board’s arrangement each time you play, which adds further replay value. You can complete a solo game in as little as 30 minutes.

3. Caverna: The Cave Farmers

In Uwe Rosenberg’s Caverna, players take on the role of a dwarf family that dwells in a humble mountain cave. Over the course of two to four hours, they’ll develop the forest outside their home, mine deeper into the hills, and complete expeditions with the help of their newly forged weapons. The worker placement mechanics work perfectly here, and draw from the game’s predecessor Agricola, which was also designed by Rosenberg. You can play Caverna with up to sev??en people, but there can be a lot of waiting time between turns if your group is larger than four. There’s also a solo mode that lets you place completely different furnishings in your cave.

2. Viticulture: Essential Edition

Build your own vineyard in the Italian countryside, grow grapes, and craft the best casks of wine in Viticulture, an exceptional worker placement game with gorgeous thematics. As the seasons change, you’ll expand your crush pad, increase the capacity of your cellars, and construct farm buildings, such as the cottage, windmill, and tasting room. In order for your vineyard to be an economic success, you’ll need to complete lots of?? wine order cards and accomplish your objectives before the other players. There’s also an expansion that flips the original game on its head and makes it a cooperative experience instead.

1. Agricola

Agricola is an immensely satisfying engine-building euro board game that makes expanding your farm an abso?lute blast. When you start the game, you’ll have two work?ers who represent a farmer and their spouse. You can send them out to till the fields, construct fences, and pick up building materials. There are also tons of unique cards you can use to upgrade your land. As the game progresses, you can get livestock or extra workers to aid you. Agricola also comes with a variable difficulty system that lets you remove the more complex cards whenever you need to make the rules a bit easier to understand. As far as farming board games go, it doesn’t get any better than this.

The post T??he 10 Best F?arming Board Games of All Time, Ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

Some of the longest Switch games will have us holding the handheld device for a very long time if you play the system on the go. The Xenoblade Chronicles series, for exam?ple, is one exclusive Nintendo franchise th??at will keep you entertained for ages and ages.

Please note that for this list, we are only covering games that have launched on Switch first or are exclusive. We are basing this knowledge on HowLongToBeat's data.

15) Mario & Luigi: Brothership (49.5 hours)

Mario & Luigi: Brothership brings back the classic RPG franchise and puts it on a console for the first time. While the combat is cherished among reviewers, some have criticized its "bloated runtime," like IGN.  "There are so many places in this game that could have been cut down or abbreviated, but a lot of it feels there just as a way of extending the game," said our review. "It? doesn’t feel rushed or unpolished; there��s just too much of it, and it gets in its own way."

14) Pokemon Scarlet & Violet (50 hours)

The first open-world take in a mainline Pokemon game is Scarlet & Violet. While the game is often criticized for its poo??r graphics, it does giv?e a refreshing change to the formula as you're given free rein on where to go next and which missions to complete first, adding to the hours spent in-game.

13) Ring Fit Adventure (57 hours)

Ring Fit Adventure keeps you exercising for many weeks as it has a 57-hour run-time, according to HowLongToBeat. You'll constantly unlock new wo?rkout moves to utilize against your foes in this pseudo-RPG exercise concept. It can be very fun in burst?s.

12) Fire Emblem: Engage (63 hours)

Fire Emblem: Engage is a fantastic RPG that has you invested in forming friendships (or even a relationship) with the characters i??n the game. There is plenty of side content on offer as you go through the main campaign, keeping you "engage"d f??or many, many hours.

11) Rune Factory 5 (70 hours)

Rune Factory 5 is a flawed yet fun experience on the Nintendo Switch. This RPG has you building resources, fighting enemies, and forming friendships with the people in your town. Your character can also marry others in the game. "It has a great cast, a wealth of activities, and much of the farm sim experience I love," said our review. "But every time I found myself smitten with the ??game, something woul?d come along to point out just how underwhelming it is as a whole."

10) Fire Emblem: Three Houses (75 hours)

This game may take you 75 hours to finish, but I was able to complete it in just a week. I believe I was unemployed at the time, but that's how addicting this RPG can be. The characters are well-developed, and the strategy?? RPG battles are thrilling. You'll keep wanting to play more.

9) Octopath Traveler (77 hours)

Another grand RPG to experience on the Nintendo Switch is Octopath Traveler. Originally released as a console exclusive in 2018, it blends classic sprites and 3D environments together in a stunning mix. "Winding vertical dungeon layers hide secrets without making navigation too frustrating, small towns have their own charm about them, and character models, especially bosses, are emotive," said our review.

8) Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (78 hours)

This RPG series is known for its lengthy games, and the first entry is no different. You'll be exploring large plains with plenty of side quests to spend your life?? with. It also has an illustrious story that features Shulk and the legendary Monado.

7) Monster Hunter Rise (79 hours)

You'll be hunting for many hours in Monster Hunter Rise as you try to? make the best armor and go on quests with your friends. Games like this take your time as you master each monster's moves and try to strategize your best route to eliminate the beast.

6) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (93 hours)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild revolutionized the open-world genre by packing all manner of content, puzzles, and events all over Hyrule. It's an incredible game that will keep you entertained for many hours. This game received a 10/10 score from us when it first launched.

5) Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (96 hours)

Monolith Soft created a magnum opus of a game with Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The game is filled with stunning environments to find along the way, and the story is impactful for many. The m?ore light-hearted dialogue, whe??n compared to the first, however, may be a turn-off for some.

4) Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (102 hours)

The trilogy comes to a close with Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Expect plenty of high-stakes drama as you go through this game's campaign. At over 100 hours, there are many side quests to complete and a thrilling main story to keep you going until the very end. "The cast, the weight of the story, and the freedom of party composition are the power trio that won me over," said our reviewer, who was invested until the end.

3) Animal Crossing: New Horizons (106 hours)

During the COVID pandemic, many were invested in the tropical scenery of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. There is much to do in the game as we decorate our island villages, find new friends, and sh?ow our creations to online buddies. It was a paradis??e for us to wake up to every day.

2) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (113 hours)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom took the world from its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, and expanded it greatly. Now, we can explore lands in the sky and down below in the underground. While it admittedly feels too bloated, Tears of the Kingdom is seen as ??one of the best Nintendo Switch games. You certainly ?get your money's worth.

1) Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (171 hours)

Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is, above and ??away, the longest Nintendo Sw?itch game you can play. The game has over 14 different weapon types to master, and there are a bunch of Hunting Styles and Hunter Arts to figure out as well. It has a mix of old and new monsters to slay, which will keep you entertained for more than 170 hours.

The post 15 Longest Switch games appeared first on Destructoid.

Regarding Call of Duty, it's easy to argue that Black Ops is perhaps the most beloved and popular series in the franchise's history. Now that Black Ops 6 has been released, I've looked through the last 17 years to rank every Treyarch-developed game from worst t??o best.

It's a testament to the quality of the Black Ops series that Treyarch is widely viewed as the best Call of Duty developer, which made ranking the seven mainline entries difficult. A dev team rarely has no absolute stinkers in their library, but Treyarch has never made a bad CoD game, at least in my opinion.

However, this is an article to rank them all, so I couldn't sit on the fence and say that they're all great, which is why we're ranking all Black Ops games in order. For this list, we've included Call of Duty: World at War, as it is viewed as the beginning of the Black Ops series due to characters from it appearing in 2010's Black Ops.

7. Black Ops 4

• Release year: 2018
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
• Modes: Multiplayer, Zombies, Blackout

Picking the worst Black Ops game is like going to a donut shop and picking the least tasty one: They're all pretty good. There had to be a loser, though, and for me, Black Ops 4 is probably the least memorable title in the series, and I always felt like I wasn't sure what kind of Call of Duty game it was.

The return to "boots on the ground" CoD was certainly welcome, but bringing Specialist abilities back meant that BO4 felt like an odd mix of classic and futuristic Call of Duty that never quite worked for me. The decision not to release with a campaign also damaged this title, and the public reception to it meant Black Ops 4 was on the back foot before it? was even released.

Treyarch does deserve credit for the game, though; for the most part, the multiplayer was fun, and Blackout was a great introduction to Battle Royale in CoD, laying the groundwork for the ultra-successful Warzone. While Blackout was a little clunky and wasn't updated very often, it was still an enjoyable experience that shaped the Call of Duty we play today.

6. World at War

• Release year: 2008
• Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii
• Modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies

World at War is viewed as the starting part of the Black Ops franchise, even though it doesn't feature the series' iconic title. Set during World War II, it was a stark change from the previous year's game, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

As it's the oldest CoD game on this list, it's easy to write it off, but to do so would be a mistake. The campaign is one of my personal favorites—It's dark and gritty, and switching between the Am??ericans and the Soviets really gives you a feeling that you're not in control of what's happening and the?? true intensity of war.

Of course, you can't talk about WAW without gushing about Zombies, the starting point of the legendary mode, and some of my favorite memories in Call of Duty. ??I can still picture myself sitting in my old bedroom playing Nacht der Untoten with my buddies, even though I was terrible a??t it.

Unfortunately, Multiplayer is where I feel like World at War slips down this list, as I didn't enjoy many of the maps, the PPSh-41 (which has recently returned for Black Ops 6) dominated the weapon meta, and the inclusion of tanks didn't feel like Call of Duty multiplayer to me. In truth, I ended up returning to CoD4 before the year ended, and I never looked back.

5. Black Ops 3

• Release year: 2015
• Platforms: PC, macOS, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3
• Modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies, Bonus (Dead Ops Arcade, Nightmares, Freerun)

Look, before I get into Black Ops 3, I have to be honest. Advanced Warfare is, in my opinion, the best jetpack Call of Duty game by a mile, and I don't care what anyone says. So, with that in mind, there was simply no way I could rank it any higher than this, even though I know BO3 has its loyalists who think it's the best CoD ever.

Black Ops 3 multiplayer is fun, but I think the jetpacks are almost too powerful. Being able to wall-run and dash to the sides made it play too quickly for my liking, and at times, it felt like you were playing Halo rather than CoD. It does have some really good maps like Stronghold or Evac, but it's also got some stinkers like Exodus and Havoc which were just not enjoyable?? to play.

For me, BO3 also has the weakest campaign in the series and ended up being a confusing experience that didn't really explain why you were doing anything. The campaign gameplay is fun and does have some good moments, but it's not enough to make up for the flawed story. On the other hand, the BO3 Zombies Chronicles edition was?? one of the real stars of the show, remastering some of the most iconic maps in the series, like Origins and Moon.

4. Black Ops 6

• Release year: 2024
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
• Modes: Campaign, Zombies, Multiplayer

Black Ops 6 has the makings of being one of the best BO titles, but it still needs a little more work for it to be at the top of the list. Since it's in its early stages, it's hard to judge the game entirely while things are set in motion, whether with new upcoming maps or modes. However, even though it's still the beginning, the Black Ops 6 ??multiplayer experience is probably the most fu??n I've had in a while.

The fluid Omnimovement is my favorite thing in the world, making an Operator's movement much more accessible than other versions. Plus, the speed of the character makes me feel like I'm the DC Hero, the Flash, and now I can't seem to play any other CoD entry just because the movements are too slow. The only thing I wish multiplayer would expand upon is the maps. Most of them are riddled with spawn traps or are downright confusing with their l?ayouts. But, like I said before, maybe it could turn around with the new maps of the season.

When it comes to the campaign, it's a bit of a mixed bag. While some moments are incredibly cinematic, others fall short and don't quite deliver. Yet, the Zombies storyline is a different story. It's engaging and delves into ??the lore of fan favorites like Edward Richtofen and Samanth??a Maxis, creating a more compelling aspect of the game. 

The Zombies mode is the main reason why Black Ops 6 is so good. The Easter Egg hunt and versatile Wonder Weapon collection brings me back to the old Zombies, where everyone worked together to uncover its secrets. Sure, sometimes it feels like a wild goose ch?ase, but when you finally discover its hidden gems, it feels all the ?more worth it.

3. Black Ops Cold War

• Release year: 2020
• Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
• Modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies

Black Ops Cold War is my favorite of the "modern" Call of Duty titles and was lightyears better than 2019's Modern Warfare reboot. There's a lot to like about BOCW, with a solid campaign that's bolstered by the fact that decisions you make during the story can change the ending you see. I ended up completing it a couple of times to see what happened, which is something I rarely do with CoD campaigns.

The Zombies Dark Aether storyline was also really strong, and the gameplay was, in my opinion, the best since Black Ops 2. The maps were good, the gameplay didn't get too convoluted, and it was generally an enjoyable experience. Multiplayer on this game was also great, with gunplay feeling much more rewarding than MW and classic maps returning to the game. I spent hours playing BOCW's Ranked Mod?e, and if it was st??ill live, I'd be tempted to go back.

My only real gripe with Black Ops Cold War is how strong the skill-based matchmakin?g felt in multiplayer, which made playing matches feel more like work than fun at times. Still, I have fond memories of this game, and it almost feels harsh to r??ank it third.

2. Black Ops

• Release year: 2010
• Platforms: PC, macOS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo DS
• Modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies

The first CoD game to boast the Black Ops title, Treyarch's 2010 is an almost flawless Call of Duty game. The campaign was the best in the entire franchise, with an endi?ng (which we won't spoil in case you haven't played it) that will blow you??r mind.

Multiplayer gameplay was also excellent, with weapons that were enjoyable and rewarding to use, while the maps were also widely excellent. Black Ops is the game that introduced Nuketown, one of CoD's most iconic maps that is recreated to this day, showing how influential this game really was. Even Black Ops 6 brought Nuketown back, in light of how m??uch the community enjoys playing? it.

No surprise, but Black Ops' Zombies mode is also brilliant, with un??ique maps that each posed different ch??allenges, a solid storyline that weaved through every map, and great gameplay that added new guns like the Thunder and Wave Guns.

1. Black Ops 2

• Release year: 2012
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii U
• Modes: Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is the pinnacle of the franchise. It's not just the best Black Ops game, it's the best Call of Duty, period.

BO2 was the first campaign in the series to use branching storylines, with decisions you make affecting the ending yo?u get. Better than that, the choices have real stakes and really invest you in the story. Treyarch went above and beyond in this campaign and hasn't been ??able to match it since.

Zombies in Black Ops 2 is good, not great, but still a really fun experience that is boosted by its incredible gunplay and all-around gameplay. Nevertheless, if I were to judge the BO2 Zombies' experience on the map Origins alone, it would be a 10 out of 10, no questions asked. Every time Call of Duty comes up in conversation, I'm always quick to ask if they've played Origins just to get the chance to talk about it. It's the best Zombies map, with its all-powerful Elemental Staffs, a lively cast of characters, and numerous Easter Eggs. Origins is unlike anything I've played in Zombies before and continues to be my favorite aspect in the entire CoD universe.

Then, there's Black Ops 2's multiplayer, where this game blows everything else out of the water. This title has arguably the best maps in the franchise, with remakes still popping up in CoD games to this day. On top of that, the guns feel so rewarding to use, the Pick 10 class system is still yearned for by players, and League Play is the standard to which all CoD? Ranked Play modes are still held, and none have?? managed to better it yet.

A truly perfect Call of Duty game, an??d one that has yet ?to be matched in the 12 years since its release.

The post Every Call of Duty: Black Ops game ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

There's just something about listening to your favorite music in a public setting and forcing it upon the ears of others. Roblox has turned this real-world nuisance into a series of ?games on its platform.

Using a database of uploaded songs, players can input Song IDs to blast their song of choice directly into the ears of strangers all over th?e world. Here are some of the best.

Best songs for Roblox 2025

Prior to a change in March 2022, users could upload virtually any audio file and have it be playable in any game that supported the boombox via a Song ID. The change retroactively made any audio longer than six seconds pr??ivate. This meant that if you weren't the person who ha??d originally uploaded the audio file, you would no longer be able to play or hear the sound.

This means the vast majority of Song ID repositories are now functionally useless, and users have been restricted to a much smaller selection of songs and sound clips of varying quality. One important thing to know is that there's no guarantee that any individual Song ID may work, as they can be made private by either Roblox staff or the user who uploaded it.

Below are 30 absolute bangers t??o entertain yourself and possibly others arou?nd you. I have personally confirmed that each is working at the time of this writing. Go forth, aspiring DJs!

How to search for Song IDs in Roblox

To search for music codes on Roblox, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Roblox homepage
2. Select 'Create'
3. Go to 'Store'
4. Select the 'Audio' tab
5. Choose any audio
6. Hit the arrow on the right side and press 'More Info'
7. Copy the numbers within your internet browser's URL (right after assets)
8. Paste the numbers to use your music code in-game

You'll discover many sections on the Audio page, from the top Roblox Song IDs to the newest hits of the day. After you find a song, you can get its ID through 'More Info.' Discover the correct number from your URL. For instance, mine came out to 'create.roblox.com/store/asset/75793628822368/Mirage-Portal.' Thus, the bolded numbers wou?ld be utilized as the Song ID.

How to use music codes in Roblox

Playing music in Roblox varies in each game, as they all have different methods. Sometimes, it can cost money with Robux, while other times, it doesn't cost a thing. To play music for free, play Catalog Heaven, a game that allows you to customize your avatar and battle nearby bases. Once you start playing, select 'Catalog' and type in Boombox. There will be a few choices here, including the Boombox Gear 3.0 and Golden Super Fly Boombox. Choose one of them to trigger a prompt to enter Roblox music codes.

Tap on the Boombox again if you want to change songs. You can also stop the music by unequipping it in your inventory. Besides Catalog Heaven, you can see if other games permit music. I discovered that Jailbreak features a Car Stereo mechanic, costing 200 Robux. With this title, you can type in 'R' or tap the radio on the bottom-right corner of the screen. Then, enter any Song ID you prefer to listen to some tunes on Jailbreak.

For the most part, it seems like Roblox titles that use music codes require a subscription pass. Therefore, if you're unsure whether your game is compatible, check the title's Subscription & Passes se???ction to see if there's a radio or stereo feature.

Can I create custom music playlists in Roblox?

Only Roblox game developers can create custom music playlists. It's associated with a tool used in scripting to create soundtracks for various worlds. If you're a player, you must manually enter each ID to make your own version of a play??list.

The post Best Roblox song IDs appeared first on Destructoid.

The NES library has north of 700 games on it. That’s a lot, but in?? terms of successful consoles, it’s kind of in the mid-range. It still makes it difficult to choose any number of the best games. That’s probably why no one has been brave enough to make a Top ??X NES games list. I’m not saying I’m the bravest person in the world, but I am saying I have no shame.

One thing to note is that while I’ve played a staggeringly wide range of the NES library, I haven’t played everything. For example, I haven’t played Bases Loaded 3, a?nd I’m open to the possibility that it’s the apogee of the NES library. This also isn’t about which games were most popular or influential. That’s another topic. These ones are the best for a myriad of other reasons.

I’m also not including Famicom exclusives, though I’d love to. If I was, just know that Metal Max would be stomping all over these games. That and Kunio-Kun. But, alas, here are the top 18 NTSC NES games.

18. Super Mario Bros. (1985)

I mentioned that this is not a list of the most influential games on the console because, if it was, Super Mario Bros. would top it each time. The NES is essentially a console built on the back of Super Mario Bros., and it's impossible to overstate its imp??act on console games.

Also, it's still an extremely fun game. While its vintage ensures that the gameplay remains rather basic with little variety in enemies and obstacles, it makes up for it with sheer creativity in its level design. From World 1 to World 8, it?? stretches its mechanics in new and interesting ways. Improvements in the technology within NES cartridges would enable its predecessors to push new boundaries, the original holds its own through sheer craftsmanship.

17. Maniac Mansion (1990)

NES ports of home computer games were often rather lackluster due to differences in capabilities. However, it feels like no compromise has been made with the NES port of Lucasarts' seminal point-and-click adventure, Maniac Mansion.

What makes Maniac Mansion such a unique and exciting game among point-and-click titles is the more freeform nature of solving its puzzles. You select three characters and your path to the finish line changes depending on the combination you put together. The time it takes to get from start to finish in this game is extremely short, but it's unlikely you'll reach it on your first attempt. Maniac Mansion is a game that you'll play over and?? over, and surprisingly for a point-and-click adventure, it remains fun each time.

16. Mega Man 6 (1993)

You're probably expecting to see at least one or two Mega Man games on this list. If multiple mega men are listed, you are probably expecting two specific titles to be here. I'm not going to spoil it, but Mega Man 6 is my choice?? for the second-best in the series. To be fair, all six titles are pretty much just one game repeated, but each brings its own wrinkles that either add to or detract from the ?series.

What Mega Man 6 adds it the ability to couple t??he blue bomber with his dog in a number of transformations that remain unique to the series. What it detracts is essentially any challenge. It has some great levels with branching pathways enabled by the Rush transformations??. However, it also has no teeth. It's up to you whether or not diminished challenge bothers you, but for me, it's not all that much.

15. Duck Tales (1989)

While we have some big-named licensed games these days, most games based on movies or cartoons during the 8-bit years weren’t very good. Some of them were extraordinarily terrible. Capcom, on the other hand, had a good track record for making some terrific games based on Disney licenses. One of their early endeavors was Duck Tales.

There were a lot of directions you could go with a game based on Duck Tales, since it wasn’t purely an action show. Capcom chose to do hop-and-bop with a twist. You play as Scrooge McDuck who can somehow use his cane as a pogo stick, allowing him to eliminate enemies. The platforming was fine, but the real treasure was, er, searching for treasure. Not only were you rewarded with gems for messing with the environments, but th?ere were also secret treasures located in each stage.

14. Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988)

Originally released in 1987 on the Famicom Disk System as Yume Kōjō: Dokidoki Panic, Nintendo tweaked and rebranded it as a Mario game for North America because the real Super Mario Bros. 2 is kind of butt. It’s difficult,?? b??ut in a really unfair and cruel way.

The Super Mario Bros. 2 that we got is a whimsical game about throwing dudes into other dudes. It doesn’t have much in common with the original game, but if you didn’t know about the Japanese release, you probably wouldn’t guess. It’s a challenging platformer with a jaunty soundtrack. It is, in my opinion, better than even the first game and miles better than the Super Mario Bros. 2 Japan received.

13. Kirby’s Adventure (1993)

I often say that I enjoy the idea of the Kirby, but don’t necessarily love the games. Kirby’s Adventure is an ??exception to that. It was a late release in 1993, and it kind of shows. Beyond having a lot of technical trickery, Kirby was ??given the ability to consume his enemies and adopt their powers. It’s not a terribly difficult game but it manages to be entertaining the whole way through.

12. Metroid (1986)

I totally get that some people don’t dig the original Metroid. The floaty controls, annoying enemies, and unforgiving life system can really be abrasive when you first approach the game and don’t get me started on the massive passwords you use to save your progress.

However, if you get acclimated to the enormous friction Metroid puts up front, there’s a lot to like underneath. It’s a challenging game with a great progression. It was also very influential, with the impact of its gated exploration formula being immediately felt on the console. It can be hard to get into today, but it’s s??till worthwhile.

11. Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse (1989)

Not far off from the original is Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse. Some would probably rank this one above the original, but I feel it has some areas where it’s not nearly as tightly designed. Difficulty is one such area, as changes were made in the North American version that aren’t in the Japanese version, Akumajou Densetsu. In particular,?? the damage the player takes is more of a linear increase and is less fair.

Nonetheless, Castlevania 3 contains a lot of the original’s terrific sense of style and control. It adds branching routes to the end, multiple characters to recruit and partner with, and a better va?riety of obstacles and challenges?. All in all, it’s a great follow-up.

10. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)

This is going to be the top pick for a lot of people, and it’s here because I do love Super Mario Bros. 3; it just doesn’t get my thighs grinding. There’s a lot to love about it, though. For one thing, it plays like something that belongs to another console generation, effortlessly pulling off 4-way scrolling and fast movement. The level of variety on hand is insane, the level design is practically in a class of its own, and there’s a tonne of extras and secrets tucked away. Decades later, it still stands as one of the plumber’s best house calls. The fact that there’s such a night and day difference between Super Mario Bros. 3 and the first Super Mario Bros. while them both belon??ging to the same co?nsole is impressive.

9. Dragon Warrior (1986)

You can feel free to substitute your personal favorite Dragon Warrior (or Dragon Quest) game, but the original still feels the best to me. I prefer its simplicity and open design. Final Fantasy and the three subsequent games in the Dragon Warrior series take the formula in interesting directions, ??but if this list tells you anything, it’s that I value focus and polish over scale.

I love the twists Dragon Warrior throws at you, and I’m happy it can be completed in, like, ten hours. Its cheerful design makes it a bit more inviting than CRPGs at the time, and its simplicity makes it a great fit for consoles. Really, I love the complete NES run of Dragon Warrior games, but if? I had to pick just ?one, it’s the original.

8. Contra (1988)

In arcades, Contra was a merciless quarter-muncher. It was difficult to see even a fraction of it without giving up most of your allowance. In its home 8-bit form, it’s still extremely brutal, but at least it took all your money upfront. Contra on the NES is the seminal run-and-??gun s??hooter, and it made a home for the series on console. It’s smooth, easily readable, varied, and nicely polished. Plus, its soundtrack is pretty kicking on top of it.

Contra would be followed up by Super C, which is fine but not quite as excellent as the first. This would lead to console-exclusive titles in the series, like Contra 3: The Alien Wars and Contra: Hard Corps. None of those are as good as Metal Slug, but we had to start somewhere.

7. Batman (1989)

Batman: The Video Game has very little to do with Batman the 1989 movie. It has more to do with Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania, but you play as purple Batman and spend most of your time in sewers fighting robots.

The thing about Batman is that it’s like Ninja Gaiden if it was better designed. There’s wall jumping and gadget throwing, but it never resorts to simply spamming enemies at you and completely changing the rules just to screw you over. It’s one of the most difficult games I’ve completed, but I feel like I earne???d it. Learning to time those jumps in the clock tower, mastering everything on the utility belt, and somehow toppling Joker made for a satisfying conquest.

6. Mega Man 2 (1988)

The first Mega Man title sold in North America about as well as a box of live wasps. Thankfully, Capcom reluctantly green-lit a sequel, and even more thankfully, they tried it again over here. With an easier difficulty and uglier box art. Look, Mega Man 2 is already one of the breezier of the original 8-bit titles, but if you’re playing on “Normal�?difficulty, it’s stripped of all challenge. The inappropriately named “difficult�?is the way the Gods of Thumbs intended, and I’m not just saying that as a flex. It’s actually equivalent to the F??amicom version’s setup.

When you’re on the proper difficulty, Mega Man 2 has it all. Great soundtrack, solid level design, and memorable boss battles. A lot of people prefer Mega Man 3 to this title, but I think that’s bupkiss. Mega Man 3 ??is too long, and I find it h??as the visual flavor of wallpaper paste. Awesome opening song, though.

5. Punch-Out!! (1987)

I respect Punch-Out!! because I feel it’s a solid idea perfectly executed. Technically, it’s a port of a game that was released in arcades years earlier, but the mere fact that it was refocused to not just being a quarter-munching monster makes it a lot more enjoyable on console. As long as you’re on a setup without horrendous input lag, the visual cues and timing all make for a perfect challenge. Well, until you get into the top tier of boxers. I still can’t actually topple Mike? Tyson, because when my attention span faces off against consistently getting my ass kicked, my attention span never makes it three rounds.

4. The Legend of Zelda (1986)

I often associate the original Legend of Zelda as the game that got me into gaming. I was extremely young at the time, but watching my father play through it gripped my mind. However, there are a lot of formative games from my youth that I rarely return to, and Legend of Zelda isn’t one of them. For wha?tever reason, I’ve developed a habit of returning to it almost annually for another playthrou??gh.

Zelda had a massive impact on the direction of game development, but, as I’ve stated, this list isn’t about influence. Stripped of that, The Legend of Zelda is an open game that respects your abilities as an inquisitive human. Maybe a bit too much, but somehow I was able to figur?e out which bushes to burn, and that’s my mind isn’t letting that go.

3. River City Ransom (1989)

With the severe graphical memory limitations of the NES, beat-’em-ups were a tricky genre to pull off. However, we did get a few gems, including some of the most ubiquitous ports of the Double Dragon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games. Those are fine, but I think Technos�?weird experiment in the Kunio-Kun series stands as the best.

Upgrading your character through food and items, River City Ransom has as much to do with shopping as it does with fighting. When fists go up,?? it becomes a ridiculous brawl, taking full advantage of its expressive art style. It’s one of the few games I can name that allows you to use the second player as a weapon.

I would include more Nekketsu/Kunio-Kun games on this list if they weren’t Famicom exclusive. Check out the Double Dragon & Kunio-Kun: Retro Brawler Bundle i?f you’d like a taste of what we missed in the west.

2. Gun*Nac (1990)

The NES had some great shoot-’em-ups in its library, though many of them were ports of arcade titles, and many more didn’t even make the journey to our front-loaders. Gun*Nac is a major exception, and it’s easily the best on the console.

Featuring amazingly fast scrolling and near-flicker-free graphics, it’s a technical masterpiece. To add to that is an unending variety of enemies and a slew of weapons and bombs to clear the screen. Gun*Nac is un?believably robust, especially ??considering its 8-bit trappings. If you haven’t tried it or even heard of it, you’re missing out.

1. Castlevania (1986)

There’s no question in my mind that Castlevania is the best game on the NES. From both an aesthetic and design standpoint, it’s flawless. Featuring tightly refined controls, perfect enemy placement and behavior, a stiff but fair challenge, and a surprising amount of variety, I still consider it to be the best in the series and on the system. Considering the Castlevania series already has enough banger titles to fill its own highly subjective top 18 list, I think that says it all.

Don’t think this is an off-the-cuff decision, either. When my NES library explorations finally reached Castlevania, I knew I had reached the peak. Now that I’ve dug even further, I’m even more certain of it. Castlevania is what 8-bit perfection looks like.

Related: View this complete list of all NES games on Listium and below. Save y?our favorites, mark your wishlist items, and more.

The post Top 18 best NES games of all time, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

The most expensive PS2 games in existence are likely titles you've never heard of as they've had such limited runs in the market. They may have also launched late into the life cycle of the classic video game system like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, which laun?ched in 2010, a decade af?ter the PS2 was released.

Note: This information is based on UK store CeX's pricing. All prices are from the mint versions if provided.

10. Forbidden Siren 2

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment (SIE)
Release Date: February 9, 2006
Price on CeX: £190

Forbidden Siren 2 is an intriguing horror game that features multiple protagonists that switch. Unfortunately, this game didn't make it to North American stores but it did receive a release in Asia, Europe, and Australia. "Forbidden Siren 2 is very nearly the greatest survival horror game yet made, but every time we start to fall in love with it, the game trips over its own shoelaces and leaves us somewhat embarrassed to be seen with it," said GamesRadar's review. It's likely because of its own quirks that?? it became so hard to find a copy and wasn't available to Americans.

9. The Silent Hill Collection

Publisher: Konami
Release Date: April 21, 2006
Price on CeX: £220

This Silent Hill collection comes with three beloved (and expensive) games: Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, and Silent Hill 4: The Room. The PS2 collection may still have a lot of value because the PS3 HD compilation was received poorly, and it doesn't include the fourth game. Destructoid gave it a terrible 3/10 score in its review. "No matter how engaging these games still are to play, there’s no escaping the fact that the games on this disc are significantly inferior versions, and for Konami to fail at publishing enh??anced versions of such old games is a total embarrassment," said the review. "While newcomers won’t notice the missing visual elements, such broken audio is tough for anybody to forgive."

8. The Getaway (Limited Edition)

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: December 11, 2002
Price on CeX: £250

Limited to just 1,000 copies, The Getaway's limited edition is hard to get your mitts on. From eBay listings and YouTube videos, it seems like this version of the game only has a silver tint to the game's box and disc that makes it stand out. The poster that comes inside is included with every copy of The Getaway.

7. Armored Core: Last Raven

Publisher: FromSoftware/Agetec/505 Games
Release Date: August 4, 2005
Price on CeX: £260

Armored Core: Last Raven is the eleventh game in the series and Hidetaka Miyazaki's first project with FromSoftware before directing the legendary Souls franchise. It is an important entry as Last Raven ends the storyline that be??gins in the third installment. 505 Games and Agetec weren't the biggest publishers of video games, so it makes sense there may be a scarcity of copies out there, upping the pr??ice.

6. Samurai Western

Publisher: Spike/Atlus/505 Games
Release Date: January 1, 2005
Price on CeX: £270

Samurai Western is just as it sounds. You play a samurai roaming the Wild West with sword in hand. You're deflecting bullets and rampaging through the game, slicing up foes, in search of your lost brother. The game, published by Atlus, doesn't have the best reputation with a 58 Metacritic rating. "The aesthetics and the arcade-style gameplay can feel very enjoyable if spread out over an appropriate amount of time, but it has to be said that the majority of people who might pick up Samurai Western will find it supremely mediocre," said our coverage of the game.

5. Rule of Rose

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment/Atlus/505 Games/Digital Bros
Release Date: January 19, 2006
Price on CeX: £420

Another Atlus game that has seen obscurity, due to its price, is Rule of Rose. It was once far more expensive but strangely, a few new copies were found in the wild, bringing down its price. Rule of Rose is a?? psychological horror game that was critically panned across the board but has gained the attention of retro content creators over the ??????????????????????????past few years.

"Rule of Rose is an emotionally tormenting experience, both in regards to playing and interpreting it," said Zoey Handley for Destructoid. "I can’t comment about how scary it might be because of my aforementioned virtual fearlessness, but I can certainly say that it’s an unsettling, uncomfortable, and moving experience.?"

4. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Publisher: Konami
Release Date: January 19, 2010
Price on CeX: £465

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories might be the most notable game in this list as Silent Hill is a popular horror franchise, especially within the PS2 era. Originally a Wii game, it launched on the PS2 and PSP on January 19, 2010, which makes this one of the last games to launch on the system. This likely caused a lower distribution of copies as it was an aging platform. This is an interesting entry in the series as it was designed and written by Her Story developer Sam Barlow. Shattered Memories' PS2 version has a decent 77 Metacritic score.

3. Michigan: Report from Hell

Publisher: Spike/505 Games
Release Date: August 5, 2004
Price on CeX: £575

Developed by Suda51 studio Grasshopper Manufacture, Michigan: Report from Hell is a survivor horror game that has you playing through the first-person perspective of a cameraman. You can even see the battery symbol and the timing of the filming in the corners of the screen. 505 Games, like many of the games published on this list, likely didn't produce as many copies as EA or Activision at the time, possibly due to budget and this being extremely niche. Ironically, Michigan: Report from Hell never saw an Am??erican release but it did come out in Europe and Japan.

2. Kuon

Publisher: Agetec/FromSoftware/Indie Games Productions
Release Date: April 1, 2004
Price on CeX: £750

Yet another horror game makes the list, and Kuon is indeed one of the most expensive PS2 games. Developed by the Elden Ring studio FromSoftware, Kuon has you exploring a creepy Japanese castle in Kyoto, Japan. The game has three di??fferent protagonists, who each have a role to play in?? the gruesome narrative.

"It's atmospheric, creepy, and sloooooow, even by survival horror standards," said Game Informer's review, according to Metacritic. It has a 57 Metacritic score, but it has found some fans with a Generally Favorable user score. "The atmosphere and aesthetic are second to none and the storytelling/lore is, in typical From Software fashion, masterful," said one person on the website Verified-Dream.

1. Gun Club

Publisher: Crave Entertainment/505 Games
Release Date: October 2, 2006
Price on CeX: £800

The most expensive PS2 game, at least in the UK, is Gun Club (NRA Gun Club in the United States). It is a Jarhead Games-developed title that was endorsed by the gun-activist organization NRA and then found its way to some European territories, thanks to 505 Games. It received horrible reviews from critics in 2006. "This is the sort of hastily slapped-together game that should have been a free bonus for subscribing to the NRA newsletter or something," said GameSpot's 1.6/10 review. This game's fair??ly inexpensive in the United States, but it's costly in the United Kingdom as the release was so scarce in th??e area.

The post Top 10 most expensive PS2 games in the UK, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

The UK-based Booker Prize has been going for decades. It was started in 1969 by the wholesale distributor Booker Group Limited. If you're not familiar, it's an annual literature event that declares one judge-picked novel as the "best work of sustained fiction of the year, written in English and published in the UK or Ireland," as the Wikipedia page puts it.

Currently, winners are awarded a cash prize of £50,000 (just over $60,000), plus a trophy and no doubt a pretty steep uptick in sales. Now, if you've heard of this prestigious honor, b??ut have never checked it out, it can seem a bit daunting knowing which books to read to get an idea of what makes a prize-winning novel in the charity's eyes.

This is where I come in. I've been following the Booker Prize for a few years now, and I felt it high time to give a list of novels to start off with. Many of these are simply personal recommendations, but there are also those that are generally regarded as fantastic stories in their own right. There will be some crossover in that, as well as some which I haven't read myself, but whose reputation is widespread. This list ?will also contain a mixture of winners and those that were shortlisted but are sti??ll worthy of note in the literary community.

With that, here are 10 Booker Prize novels I feel represent a good range to start with if you're thinking of checking the award out. These are not necessarily in any specific order. Of course, given that there have been hundreds of winners and those s??hortlisted over the years, 10 is only a tiny slice of what's out there.

Orbital - Samantha Harvey (2024 winner)

While it's tempting to suggest starting with the very first winner, I'm going to go the opposite route and recommend the most recent one. In 2024, Samantha Harvey won the Booker Prize with her short yet emotionally deep novel, Orbital.

It tells the story of six astronauts on board the International Space Station. The entire plot takes place over the course of 16 Earth orbits, which is the equivalent of one day to us here on terra firma. However, don't be fooled into thinking it's an action-packed sci-fi nove??l about peril or a deadly alien that hunts the crew in a game of cat-and-mouse.

One thing you'll quickly learn about the Booker Prize is nominees are not known for being high-octane page-turners. They are often more introspective, emotional, or help encapsulate a milieu of the time. In this instance, Orbital ??is a beautifully written account of six people floating in space who are equal par?ts bonded, while also experiencing feelings of loneliness.

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood (shortlisted in 1986)

Here is one that many of you wi?ll already be familiar with. The TV adaptation alone will ring bells with a few of you, but I'd wager plenty out there have read the book, either originally or because of its resurgence over the last few years.

Margaret Atwood's chilling novel �?which didn't win the Booker Prize, but was at least shortlisted �?imagines a dystopian society in which women are considered nothing more than breeders. Its feminist resistance symbolism is something that continues to resonate with many readers. Its recent popularity during President Trump's first term is probably not a coinciden??ce, and I dare say the book will continue to sell over the next four years.

Atwood herself is something of a literary superstar. She has been nominated for the Booker Prize an impressive six times, up there with such giants as Iris Murdoch and Ian McEwan. She won in 2019 with the sequel The Testaments, sharing the win with Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other (more on that later).

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel (2009 winner)

Here's one I haven't read myself yet, but, much like The Handmaid's Tale, has been given new life in the limelight thanks to a successful adaptation. This is one for his?tory enthusiasts, no doubt, with smatterings of British politics thrown in, all set in Tud??or England in the 1500s.

The story takes place during Henry VIII's reign, with particular focus on the infamous politician Thomas Cromwell, whose influence on the monarchy is of great historical significance. Wolf Hall is also part of a trilogy, with Bring up the Bodies being published in 2012 and The Mirror and the Light releasing in 2020.

Sadly, Hilary Mantel passed away in 2022 from complications brought on by a stroke. However, she leaves behind a healthy body of work?, along with numerous accolades and prizes, including a Walter Scott Prize (2010), a UK Author of the Year Award (2012), an??d the Companion of Literature (2020), among others.

The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro (1989 winner)

I read this one ??very recently, which I think is what prompted me to start this list. It's been on my TBR for some time, and I, rather shamefully, only acquired a copy of it about a year ago, despite knowing how highly regarded this modern classic?? is.

It's often considered one of the greatest English novels in recent history. And I intend the word "English" ??in all its stiff upper lip glory. Ishiguro's 1989 winner asks the reader to step into the shoes of an aging butler, Stevens, who serves his Lordship at Darlington Hall. Stevens is permitted to take time away, to drive across the English countryside. During the course of this journey, he reflects on his time as a butler over the decades. His prim and proper manner and loyalty to Lord Darlington seem at odds with an ever-changing world in post-WW2 Britain.

The Remains of the Day is definitely one of those Booker Prize-winning novels that, on the surface, is lacking in what you might call a plot. But its genius comes from its main character, its impeccable writing, and an unraveling of the past that allows the reader to see into the life of Stevens' employer. Also, there's a Merchant Ivory film based on it that stars Sir Antho??ny Hopkins. Must check that out, as well.

Life of Pi - Yann Martel (2002 winner)

I can hear what you're thinking: "pretty much all of these books have been adapted to film or TV. Why not just watch them instead?" Well, in a lot of instances, there's a reason why bo?oks make it to the big screen. Their stories resonate with people, which is what prize-winning novels are supposed to do, I'd argue. Plus, if you're scrolling through this article, chance??s are you're looking for something new to read anyway.

Life of Pi barely needs any introduction. Winning the Booker Prize in 2002, Martel's literary masterpiece effectively centers around unreliable narration. When a cargo ship sinks, 16-year-old Pi barely escapes alive and now must sha??re a lifeboat with a tiger named Richard Parker, a female orangutan, a hyena, a?nd a zebra.

To me, Ang Lee's film doesn't do the novel a great amount of justice??. It's fine, but it's a classic case of the book being better. But you are right, hypothetical critical reader. I shouldn't count on this list being made up entirely of stories that have been adapted.

The Sellout - Paul Beatty (2016 winner)

Given that the Booker Prize is based in the UK, and champions books published in Britain, it may be a little off-putting to readers who aren't from ol' Blighty. However, it should be noted that non-UK authors can be nominated, which includes the aforementioned Yann Martel and Margaret?? Atwood (both of whom are Canadian).

However, over the years, the prize has opened its doors to even more writers, and Paul Beatty's The Sellout is worthy of note for this reason. For starters, it's the first novel by a US author to win the award. For another??, in my eyes at least, it's proof that you don't have to write something highbrow, dense, or otherwise dry.

That's not to say The Sellout isn't sophisticated, but it's one of the few Booker Prize novels (at least from what I've read) that's actually funny. Not "droll" funny. Funny-funny. Comical, even. Its biting satire on race relations in the US is what creates its humor, as the novel's protagonist seeks to reintroduce slavery. Don't worry. It's not as contentious as it sounds. It ??wouldn't have been a winner if it was even the slightest bit problematic.

A Horse Walks Into a Bar - David Grossman (2017 winner)

Speaking of humor, David Grossman's 2017 winning nov??el strongly ?suggests from the title alone that the reader is in for some yucks. However, despite the story taking place almost entirely in a comedy club �?with the occasional flashback �?the jokes from the onstage comedian are basically a side product. In all honesty, the book isn't really about being funny.

Set in an Israeli town, A Horse Walks Into a Bar has us witness stand-up comic Dovaleh unveil a dark side of his past over the course of his set. Although he begins?? with some Mid??dle Eastern jokes, it quickly makes way for the meat of his being there.

Many of us will have been in the room when a comedian is bombing on stage, or at least it's not going quite to plan, so it's interesting to see this in book form. Grossman almost forces us to bear witness to the emotional turmoil of Dovaleh, which is equal parts encapsulating, evocative of empa??thy, and a little bit hard to watch (or read, rather) as well. It should also be noted that this actually won the International Booker Prize, but I'm still counting it.

Girl, Woman, Other - Bernardine Evaristo (2019 winner)

I mentioned earlier how Evaristo's novel shared the 2019 Booker Prize with Atwood's The Testament. It must have been a difficult choice to make for them to settle on two novels (I must admit, I thought Salman Rushdie's Quichotte was a shoo-in, but I digress). Sadly, this is another one I h?ave yet to rea??d. But it's on my shelf at least, I swear.

Girl, Woman, Other is an important novel in terms of its portrayal of race and class in Bri?tain. The story follows 12 characters over the course of many decades, who are embroiled in a search for meaning, a search for somewhere to call home, trying to fit in, and their personal relationships.

It being a winner in 2019 is not a coincidence. At a time when Britain (and, indeed, the rest of the world) is talking about identities, Evaristo's critically acclaimed novel touches on some key subjects, particularly when it comes to ethnicity. This, too, has been adapted into a TV series. I know, I know. I said I was going to try to avoid that sort of thing going forward, but there's no denying that Girl, Woman, Other is a Booker Prize winner that has a lot of sig?nifican??ce in our modern age.

The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch (1978 winner)

We've looked at quite a few novels that I would consider to be pretty recent. From 2024's Orbital to 2002's Life of Pi, many of the ones I've talked about so far only really cover a small timeline of the prize's history. So I thought I'd introduce something a little more v?intage.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not just pulling something out of a hat to tick a "more than two decades old" box. Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea (so good they named it twice?) is typically held aloft as a literary tour de force. And much like many of the other novels listed here, it's described as a wholly relatable story. It should also not be confused with John Banville's The Sea, which won the Booker in 2005.

Murdoch's 1978 book centers around Charles Arrowby, who's retired from the theatrical world. His attempts to chronicle his life in a memoir are thwarted when he encounters his childho??od sweetheart. It's a tale about obsessions and relationships, all against the backdrop of an idyllic seaside locale.

Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie (1981 winner + 1993 Booker of Bookers + 2008 Best of the Booker)

Before his infamous run-in with the then-Ayatollah, who issued a fatwa (literally a "death warrant") on the author after the publication of Satanic Verses in 1988, Salman Rushdie was already o??ne to watch out for on the literary scene.

From the title above, you can already see that Midnight's Children wasn't just a Booker Prize-winning novel. It's essentially considered the best-ever book to win the prestigious award. Considering some of the alumni that have been shortlisted and/or have wo?n over the decades, that's a claim that only Rushdie has in terms of the Booker Prize. And for g?ood reason.

Its epic tale of India's independence in 1947 is intertwined with the birth of the Prime Minister's child, Saleem Sinai. Its magical realism is what Rushdie would become well known for, even during his time in exile, and its lofty themes and phenomenal writing are what make the novel such a standout amongst all the ones that have come about since 1969. It's a bit more dense than some of the others listed here, but there's a reason it's considered the best the Booker Prize has to offer.

The post 10 novels to get you into the Booker Prize appeared first on Destructoid.

Pokémon has launched some fantastic promotional events, but one of the most popular is their McDonald's Happy Meal Pokémon Trading Card promotions. For over a decade, McDonald's has released exclusive sets of Pokémon?? trading ??cards, and they're renewing the tradition with a new set of Dragon-themed cards.

Pokémon fans get excited whenever McDonalds rolls out a new set of cards, and they have a good reason to. Not only do McDonald's cards feature unique art, bu??t they're never reprinted after the promotion ends. Once they're?? gone, they're gone.

Thanks to this, McDonald's exclusive Pokémon cards inevitably become some of the rarest cards in their owner's decks and some of the most expensive in the collecting circuit. Here are the most valuable McDonald's Pokémon promo cards of all time, ranked by price.

Top 10 most valuable McDonald's Pokémon promo cards of all time

2002 Japanese McDonald’s Holo e-Card Sneasel

• eBay Cost: 399.99

Sneasel is a fantastic representative of the Dark type. It's a mischievous egg thief who lo??ves t??o play with its food, and that personality shines through in its 2002 McDonald's card.

Sneasel's McDonald's card costs around $399.99. A f??ew other McDonald's cards cost the same, but I thought Sneasel was the coolest in this category, vague as it may be.

2002 Japanese McDonald’s Holo e-Card Slowpoke

• eBay Cost: $400.00

I like Slowpoke, and I think most people do, too. This Water/Psychic-type is so chill they don't even mind it if you?? cut their tails off, and both its evolutions, the bulky Slowbro and the more offensive Slowking, are solid editions to most teams. The 2002 e-card's art puts Slowpoke's innate charm ??on a pedestal, wrapping the Dopey Pokémon in a halo of radiant light.

The mos?t expensive 2002 holographic e-card slowpoke I found is being sold for $400.00, but I saw others priced between $100 and $200.

2023 McDonald's Silver Border Holo Pichu

eBay Cost: $500.00

Pichu is ad?orable, and it's easily my favorite baby Pokémon. While it's often over-shadowed by its evolution, Pichu ranks pretty high on most "cutest Pokémon lists," and its 2002 McDonald's card hammers that home with some swee?t artwork.

This card costs $500.00. Not bad for such ??a little?? guy, is it?

2002 Japanese McDonald's Holo e-Card Donphan

• eBat cost: 549.99

Thanks to its appearance in Pokémon: The First Movie, Donphan was many Pokemon fans' introduction to Johto, and it remains one of my personal favorite Gen 2 Pokemon. The artwork on the 2002 holographic e-card, which shows Donphan sitting in confusion after he smashed through a wall, su??ms up the Armor Pokémon's personality pretty well.

Donphan's 2002 holographic e-card is currently selling for $549.99. At halfway to $1000, this card is more va??luable than many ivory products, which is good because why would you want to buy stuff like that, anyway?

2002 Japanese McDonald’s Holo e-Card Squirtle

• eBay Cost: 830.00

Squirtle was many Pokémon fans' first-ever Starter Pokemon, and its fully-evolved form, Blastoise, remains one of the best pure Water types in the series. The 2002 holographic e-card shows Squirtl??e sitting back and blowing a bubble, which aligns well with the personality of Ash's Squirtle in the anime.

2002 holographic e-card Sq?uirtles vary in price pretty wildly, even by Pokémon trad?ing card standards. EBay's most expensive card variant sells for $830.00. People love their holographic turtles.

2002 Japanese McDonald’s Holo e-Card Charmander

eBay Cost: $1,000.00

Charmander is one of those Pokémon everyone knows. Its final evolution, Charizard, is the most popular Pokemon ever, and it is many players' starter of choice in Pokémon Red and Blue. With a snazzy flaming background, McDonald's ?2002 Charmander card i??s one of the best.

The cost?? of this card fluctuates widely, but in mint condition, it's selling for $1000.00. It's not as expensive as some original holographic Charizards,?? but that's still an impressive price tag.

2002 Japanese McDonald’s Holo Umbreon

eBay Cost: $1,238.

Umbreon has always gotten it good in the trading cards department. The artwork on its cards is always stylish and expressive, and the 2002 McDonald's card is no exception. The sight of Umbreon sunning itself o??n the roof of a seaside city is as charming as it is imposing.

I found many 2002 McDonald's Umbreons on the Internet, and they had many different price tags attached to them. The highest, listed above, was a mint-condition?? car?d priced at $1,238.60. When you shoot for the moon, bring a thick wallet.

2002 Japanese McDonald’s Holo e-Card Pikachu

• eBay Cost: $1,250.00

Even people who aren’t Pokémon fans know about Pikachu, and its trading cards are always one of the most appealin?g. The 20??21 McDonald’s card is an excellent example of this. Look at that smug little mug! He knows how cute he is!

At $1,250.00, the 2021 Pikachu Mcdonald’s card is one of the most expensive pieces of Pikachu merchandise I’ve ever s??een. Electric mouses aren't cheap.

2013 French McDonald’s Holo Umbreon

• eBay Price: $1,999.99

McDonald's brought some awesome Pokémon cards to France in 2013, but none were as impressive as the Umbreon card. Umbreon and the night sky have always gone together like peanut butter and chocolate, and this card is the perfect union of Pokémon and backdrop.

French Pokemo?n cards are a rarity, and this one’s got the price to prove it. At one cent short of $2,000, only one other card beats this one in value.

2005 Japanese McDonald’s Holo e-Card Mew

• eBay Cost: $2,000.00

Mew is one of the most beloved Legendary Pokémon. Its cute design, status as the genetic ancestor of all Pokemon, and the gestalt of rumors that there's a legitimate way to catch it in the original Pokemon Red and Blue have helped the New Species Pokémon reach cult status among Pokemon fans. Mew's 2002 holographic ?e-card artwork represents its mysterious aura perfectly.

The most expensive mint 2005 holograp??hic Mew ?e-card I found cost $2,000. If your budget can handle it, this card's a great collectible for any Mew enthusiast.

The post The most va??luable M?cDonald Pokemon promo cards of all time appeared first on Destructoid.

Founded in late December 1990 in the UK, Team 17 is one of the oldest game developers and publishers that is still a?ctive today. They have released all kinds of games across several decades. But which might be the best Team 17 games of all time? We list our favorites in this ranking.

Which are the best Team 17 games?

Team 17 ma??naged to get through the 16-bit, 32-bit, and 64-bit eras unscathed, and the company is still releasing quite successful and memorable titles today. We have thirty-five years of games to go through, so there are definitely a lot of games that have been forgotten and, perhaps, justly so. But which ones might still be worth taking a look at? Here are our picks.

10. Yoku's Island Express

Among the many early games released in the first year of release of the Nintendo Switch, Yoku's Island Express probably stands alone as being one of the most unique. In a refreshing blend of pinball mechanics and platformers (and no, this is not Sonic Spinball luckily...), the player controls the super cute bug Yoku, guiding them through?? obstacles and challenges.

Thanks to clean graphics, infectious music, and gameplay mecha??nics which can be quite easy to pick up and play but also difficult to master, this is still one great Switch title to pick up on the eShop. Perhaps might be time for a sequel on the Sw??itch 2?

9. Going Under

There is nothing worse than being an intern, feeling like you're just being used for the most menial and degrading tasks in the office, when you are actually there to learn. Developed by Aggro Crab, Going Under takes that disquieting feeling and ??brings it over to a zany and quirky Diablo-like dungeon crawler. Make your way through the remains of fai?led startups, dating sites, and cryptocurrency.

Along with a unique art style plus an original theme, Going Under also features perfectly functional and engaging combat mechanics, with a little bit of roguelite thrown in for good measure. The jokes might definitely be hit or miss, with several miss??es, but they never ruin the atmosphere or get in the way of the gameplay.

8. Stunt GP

Unjustly forgotten today, this Dreamcast and PC game, along with its often-forgotten PlayStation 2 port, was released at the worst possible time. In 2002, the craze of the alternative racing game (remember POD, Rollcage, Wipeout 2079, etc?) was slowly dying. Therefore, it got q??uickly lost in the superabundance of games, but that was a fate it never really deserved. With twenty-four different tracks to perform some deadly stunts on, this was one quite seriously fun experience, despite its overall brevity.

Developed by a small team inside Team 17, this was one of their last hurrahs before transitioning to being mostly a publisher of games developed by other teams. Simple to pick up and play, and highly recommended for its co-op split screen mode. To make matters worse, today Stunt GP is quite difficult to easily pick up and play along with being unavailable o??n any official digital storefronts.

7. Superfrog

In the wake of the launch of Sonic the Hedgehog and its quick rise to glory, along with that of the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis, many home computers were watching in jealousy. But it was most definitely the Amiga to receive the most 2D platformers after 1991, with Superfrog by Team 17 probab??ly being one of the few that still stands the test of time.

Control a frog with superpowers that can also fly, through the use of power-ups like wings, plus speed up or down by ingesting pills. Classic 2D platformer gameplay that has aged quite gracefully. The game was remade in 2013 in an HD version which used to be available on Steam but has been since delisted. At this point, there is sadly no legal way to play Superfrog.

6. Alien Breed

Part Gauntlet, part unofficial Aliens-tie in, Alien Breed was the first big hitter by Team 17 and one of the reasons the company was put on the map back in the Amiga days. With a top-down view of the action gameplay and a thick atmosphere with no music but only foreboding sounds of machinery, Alien Breed pres??e?nted quite a unique experience for the early 90s.

The original was quickly followed by several other titles, such as Tower Assault. While the second game maintained the same gameplay as the ori?ginal, the third went full-on 3D, a classic FPS and alien-hunti??ng experience. The game was also rebooted in the early 2010s, making it another trilogy, this is more complicated than Star Wars at this point! But if you want to know where it all began, there is no better starting point than this suspenseful action game.

5. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

While the original Yooka-Laylee title was a quite competent attempt to bring back that classic late 90s 3D platformer crazy, the sequel went one step beyond. Keeping that same level of high challenge, Impossible Lair brings the player a quite tasty mix of having to achieve specific goals in levels, sometimes quite different from simply completing them, while collecting abilitie??s that will change?? how the levels actually work.

Impossible Lair closely follows the style of classic 2D platforms of the past, not a coincidence that part of the team worked on the Donkey Kong Country series. If you w??ere ever a fan of the genre, you will find a refreshing take and a??n all-new difficulty to try to deal with.

4. Overcooked

One of the first great original games that brought back the classic co-op experience, Overcooked brings two (or more) chefs to a selection of completely wacky kitchens where they will have to fight against all types of obstacles and challenges to bring patrons their pre???cious food. Try not to fall into lava, avoid the ice and try to slice those carrots and onions as fast as possible.

The single-player mode still exists, but this time we wouldn't recommend it. Despite the existence of a sequel of the bi??gger and better variety, ten years down the (kitchen) line Overcooked will still bring that same joy to whoever decides to sit down on the couch and p??lay. Now that's one kind of nostalgia we can all agree on.

3. Dredge

In the depths of the sea, no one can hear you scream, but they can definitely hear your boat creaking as it desperately tries to escape a huge monster in the fog. Behind the cozy face of a nice little fishing game, Dredge hides the soul?? of one of the scariest horror games released in the last few years. During the day, simply go ahead and sell your fish to the local marketplace to buy upgrades for your boat, but then when the sun sets, get ready to be careful of w??hat is lurking in the dark.

In the stillness of the night, your boat will have to deal with Eldritch horror hiding in the dark and foreboding fog. This is not a full-on horror experience, as there are no jumpscares, instead the game brings a strong sense of dread. With five islands to explore, plus even more through its different DLCs, the simple gameplay loop of Dredge will live on in many players' minds.

2. Blasphemous

Sometimes, it's not easy to explain what a game does superbly right, since it does not really reinvent the wheel. Indeed, Blasphemous, developed by the Spanish team The Game Kitchen, is a classic side-scrolling 2D action game. Kill enemies, gain new powers, unlock new places to go, a??nd dispose of huge and scary bosses. So far, there would be really no reason to explain its second position.

But thanks to its atmosphere, the writing, the music, and the way it beautifully incorporates religious symbols from Catholicism while exposing the horror beneath, Blasphemous stands apart from all of its peers. A?lmost six y??ears later, and after a perfectly competent sequel, it still stands supreme as one of the best examples of the genre.

1. Worms Armageddon

If anyone has heard of the name Team 17 then they are also probably aware of Worms. The series is one of the most representative of the early days of the co-op era, before the internet, where friends would play one against the other trying to make their worms team go boom. Among the many games in the series, Armageddon still remains ??to t??his day, one of the best examples.

By allowing incredible customization, from the flag to the sound effects of each worm, along with presenting very entertaining game modes and ultra-wacky scenarios, Armageddon provided something for everyone to enjoy. Even in single-player, it was a perfectly acceptable experience, and nobody would recommend playing Worms on your own! Sadly, the series then lost its way after 2003. If you have to play one Worms gam?e today, bring your post-apocalypse to the field and ?join the wormy army.

The post 10 Best Team 17 games, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

The history of gaming is written at a brisk pace. Not too long ago, LucasArts and Sierra fought it off for the throne of the adventure game kingdom. Nowadays most gamers don't even recall what a classic point & click game?? is, let alone that Sierra and LucasArts even existed.

Let's freshen up everyone's memory with some of the best adventure games ever made by ??what I believe was the best adventure game studio to ever exist.

Loom (1990)

Loom is the black sheep of LucasArts' adventure catalogue, but it's not a bad game. It features a very experimental take on point & click gameplay, and it's one of the very few LucasArts ?titles to mostly do away with comedy to pursue a more serious storyline in a hard fantasy setting.

Loom mostly achieved what it set out to do, as its story got a lot of praise by the time of its release, but I'm just not crazy about its overtly complex take on gameplay. Loom didn't sell very well, so everything LucasArts came up with for Loom mostly died with it �?and we?'re also not likely to see a remaster anytime soon.

The Dig (1995)

The Dig is the other game in LucasArts' catalog to deviate from the norm, and also to mixed results. Whereas Loom went for Fantasy, The Dig went for Sci-Fi, but it ??had a few more cards up its sleeve than its predecessor.

The Dig featured fantastic presentation that included a movie-worthy soundtrack, excellent voice acting by Hollywood pros, fantastic graphics, and even state of the art cutscenes. The Dig felt? mesmerizing due t??o its highly-immersive environment, but most complained about it being hampered by gameplay that felt challenging in an unfun way.

Though The Dig has enjoyed a deserved positive re-eval?uation ??in the years since it's launch, it's also yet to receive a remaster.

Maniac Mansion (1987)

This is the first? LucasArts adventure title, and also the game that put Lucasarts on the map for i?ts prowess in the adventure game genre.

Maniac Mansion? came out in 1987 and is yet to get the remaster treatment s?o yes, it will feel considerably dated to someone picking it up nowadays �?especially if they're new to the genre. Still, it features a very memorable cast of characters and a wide collection of great jokes, so it's still an artifact worth unearthing for some.

The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)

This is both the most iconic series to spawn out of LucasArts, and also the one still living, as proven by the fantastic Return To Monkey Island. The Secret of Monkey Island is where it all started and, despite bein??g a little rough around the edges for today's standards gameplay-wise, it still has a bunch of jokes that instantly became classics.

Did you know The Secret Of Monkey Island is the reason why the Pirates of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl exists? That's how awesome this game is.?? The only reason I'm not ranking it higher is because it also the reason why the sequels exist.

Sam & Max Hit The Road (1993)

Detective work is a staple of adventur??e games, and one of the best titles in the detective point &; click a??dventure genre is, interestingly, a spoof of the genre.

On top of some great puzzles �?the lifeblood of the genre �?this beautiful game based on the comics by Steve Purcell stars Max, the rabbit part of this detective duo, who's a complete psycho and one of the funniest characters in gaming. Deadpool & Wolverine proved once again that buddy comedies are the way to go, and Hit The Road remains an absolute classic of the genre.

And, best of all, naysayers can't criticize it for doing law enforcers dirty, because Sam & Max aren't police �?they're freelance police!

Full Throttle (1995)

Adventure games tend to put players in the shoes of characters who tend to have more brains than brawn �?is my kind way of avoiding calling them nerds. Full Throttle is a great antidote for that, as it allows players to embody one badass ??�?one w??ho's also pretty smart.

Full Throttle manages to have a bit more of a darker edge, but not without doing away with Lucasarts' classic charm and comedic flair. It's also filled with memorable puzzles that oftentimes come accompanied with beautiful 2d animation sequences. Full Throttle also enjoyed the rema?ster treatment, so there's no excuse to avoid trying it out nowa??days.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992)

Living in a time when an Indiana Jones video game is better than any Indiana Jones sequel feels unprecedented, but Indiana Jones and The Great Circle isn't the first game to do it. Before that, we had Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, the rare point & click adventure that surpassed most of the movies it was based on, and, interestingly, also gave players the kind of gameplay freedom people are praising The Great Circle for.

The controls are a bit dated by today's standards. A nice simple remaster is way overdue, but, if you like Indiana Jones and/or games with intricate puzzles and a fun story, Fate Of Atlantis is still worth checking out.

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1991)

Monkey Island 2 is one of the greatest sequels of all time. It outdoes the already great predecessor in just about every thing it did right, then even adds a lot of welcome elements to the mix. LeChuck's Revenge feels? darker, and with the dark??ness comes a much opportune higher level of difficulty and depth for its the puzzles.

The series went back to its lighter tone for all the remaining games in the series, so LeChuck's Revenge is both awesome and unique.

Maniac Mansion: Day Of The Tentacle (1993)

Day Of The Tentacle improves upon the original in every way, so much so that even though they play similarly, it feels lik??e its very own thing. It's quite a strange feeling, but one completely in tune with this game where a sentient tentacle �?yes, as in the octopi appendage �?becomes super smart and decides to take over the world.

Day Of The Tentacle plays to the strength of LucasArts adventure games, which is their humor. Day Of The Tentacle is a hallmark of all-around hilarity. Good games writing sometimes isn't even something you read or hear from a character, rather a deeper part of the game's design, and Day Of The Tentacle sure h?as that in spades �?tough it also features great jokes of the regular kind, if you're worried? about that.

Grim Fandango (1998)

Though their games tended to go toe to toe quality-wise, Lucasarts' games tended to sell less than those of Sierra. Grim Fandango's numbers turned out so low that they paled even when compared to the lowest-selling Lucasarts titles. Quite disheartening, as not only is Grim Fandango?? arguably the greatest adventure game ever made �?it's definitely the funniest game ever made as far as I am concerned �?and also the most modern title eve??r made by either company.

And sure, even the most modern title to come out in the late '90s doesn't feel all that modern now, but no problem, as the remastered version is sure to have covered all the rough edges from the original release. I honestly do believe that regardless of your �?and its �?age, Grim Fandango is the rare titl??e that m??ight change how you see and play video games as a whole.

The post 10 best LucasArts adventure games appeared first on Destructoid.

Indiana Jones is an enduring action hero whose undisputedly awesome adventures will continue to entertain and inspire. The recent release of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has definitely proved that there’s nothing quite as fun as a dangerous treasure hunt with mystical artifacts and punchable baddies. If you’re a fan of the series and you love these kinds of stories, then you’ll enjoy all the books like Indiana Jones that we’re highlighting with this list.

1. Seven Deadly Wonders (Matthew Reilly)

Matthew Reilly’s Seven Deadly Wonders reads like a fast-paced action movie, and will keep fans of Indiana Jones (and The Mummy) hooked from cover to cover. Jack West Jr. and his team of heroic archeologists and soldiers need to find the seven parts of an ancient treasure to stop a solar flare from wiping out humanity. Each of these pieces is residing within one of the world’s most iconic ancient wonders. The trouble is, there are more than a few nefarious organizations trying to get to them first, and thei?r people are just as deadly a??s the traps and puzzles that are guarding the artifacts.

2. Timeline (Michael Crichton)

In Timeline, a team of archeologists working at a dig site in France find a note from their leading professor, Edward Johnston, that’s over 600 years old. The note desperately requests their aid, and as a result, they begin to investigate Johnston’s disappearance from the present. They soon discover that the ITC, which is the company that funded their dig, used quantum technology to send the professor back to 1357, during the Hundred Years�?War. Michael Crichton’s book is significantly more satisfying than its film adaption, so even if you’ve already seen the Timeline movie, you’ll?? likely have a great time reading the novel.

3. The Imperial Alchemist (A. H. Wang)

The Imperial Alchemist is a globetrotting adventure that takes its protagonist, Georgia Lee, on a journey through ancient China to find the secret history behind the myths surrounding the Elixir of Life. It’s a fascinating mystery with plenty of action and more than a few enjoyable characters. At each step along the way, you’ll continuously wonder which parts of the elixir’s story are true, and which parts are simply a legend. Just like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the book calls into question what humans would actually do if there really was an artifact out there capable of granting us eternal life. The Imperial Alchemist is the first part ?of trilogy of novels about Lee’s archaeolo?gical adventures.

4. Amazonia (James Rollins)

A scientific expedition into the Amazon rainforest disappears, and all of its team members are thought to be dead until a lone solider who accompanied the team comes back years after the group first set out. The man entered the jungle with one arm, but somehow, he’s leaving it with two. He’s marked with strange tribal symbols, and with his death, leaves behind a handful of other strange mysteries as well. It’s up to Nathan Rand and his team to journey into the depths of the jungle to discover what really happened to him, and the rest of the original expedition. Amazonia has a premise tha?t will instantly draw you in, and a storyline that continues to darken with?? unique twists.

5. Labyrinth (Kate Mosse)

If you’re interested in setting out on a different quest for the Holy Grail than the one in The Last Crusade, then you’ll love reading Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth. The novel follows two storylines simultaneously, with one set in the present day and the other taking place? 800 years earlier. Alice discovers the maze-like symbol of the Cathars while she’s working on an arche??ological dig site, and soon finds that there are dangerous people hunting for what she’s found. Meanwhile, Alais, the historical protagonist, inherits the relics needed for finding the Grail, and must evade those who seek its power. The overlapping narratives give the book a consistent level of tension that’s sure to keep you turning the pages as fast as possible.

6. The Hunt for Atlantis (Andy McDermott)

When Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase discover a sign that points the way towards the mystical city of Atlantis, they kickstart a globe-spanning adventure that turns out to be full of peril. A secret organization known as the Brotherhood of Selasphoros tails their every move, and will stop at nothing to halt their progress. The Hunt for Atlantis is not just about archaeological discoveries and the race against evil. The lead characters and their chemistry make for a gripping read, and there’s plenty of fun dialogue between the two. Nina’s and Eddie’s adventures continue in The Tomb of Hercules and The Secret of Excalibur, which are also fantastic books to read if you like Indiana Jones.

7. The Lost City of Z (David Grann)

In 1925, the legendary explorer Percy Fawcett entered the Amazon in hopes of finding an ancient, fabled civilization and its chief city, Z. He encountered hostile natives, but the real danger was the forest itself. Explorers such as Fawcett thought that the Amazon was the home of El Dorado, and journeyed into the deepest parts of the South American continent in search of it. So what ever happened to Fawcett and his team, and what did he find? The Lost City of Z follows all the historical clues that we have available in an attempt to answer these questions. The book got a film adaption back in 2017, and offers a more grounded look at jungles of South America than the likes of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

8. What the River Knows (Isabel Ibañez)

What the River Knows is a neatly designed mystery that lets the reader in on each of its secrets at a perfect pace. The story begins in nineteenth century Argentina, where the protagonist, Inez, learns of? her parent’s demise, which occurred during a trip in Egypt. Left with a fortune and a strange golden ring, she sails to Cairo in search of answers, but begins to uncover more questions instead. There are slightly more supernatural elements than your average Indy adventure, but you’re a fan of the original ?film trilogy, then you’ll love this journey out into the sands.

9. The Red Pyramid (Rick Riordan)

Younger fans of Indiana Jones will love The Red Pyramid, which centers around the adventures of siblings Sadie and Carter Kane. Carter travels the world with his father, who tells everyone that he’s an Egyptologist. When the pair of them return home to see Sadie, they visit the British Museum, where a strange ritual occurs t??hat awakens the ancient Egyptian gods. The deity Set has a dangerous plan that the siblings will need to stop. The book is the first of three in the Kane Chronicles series. If you’re a fan of the author’s other YA series, Percy Jackson,?? then you’ll love these novels as well.

10. Indiana Jones and The Peril in Delphi (Rob MacGregor)

The Indiana Jones novels are, of course, also great reads for fans of the original films. The first of these books is Peril at Delphi, which takes place in the 1920s, several years before Temple of Doom. When a strange earthquake uncovers a set of ancient ruins below Delphi, Indy explores them and soon finds a strange artifact that might be important for stopping what his fellow archeologist, Dorian Belecamus, has in store for him. Paperback editions of this book are?? essentially collector’s items, and can be tricky to find. However, if you’re a fan of the series, then you’ve got to pick one up.

The post 10 Great Books That Are Perfect fo??r Fans of Indiana Jones appeared first on Destructoid.

So much DLC, yet so little time. The Sims 4 is rather notorious for having an extensive collection of expansions and content t??hat you're able to purchase??, and the smallest of them all is kits.

These kits just contain a few items, usually either build and buy mode or CAS, although some contain a mix of both. We’re here to rank the top ten Sims 4 kits, so you know which ones?? to add ?to your game, and which to pass over.

Best kits available for The Sims 4

Book Nook

While The Sims 4 isn’t particularly lacking in bookshelves, the Book Nook kit takes it to a whole new level. You can create a wall-to-wall library with the buy items found in this kit, and other goodies like book clutter and some matching couches and chair??s.

Moonlight Chic

It seems like it’s been a while since The Sims 4 has focused on clubwear, and that shows by how dated a lot of the nightlife CAS pieces are. Luckily, with the Moonlight Chic kit, it’s an issue of the past.

Deck your Sims out in outfits that are perfect to go out dancing, clubbing, and barring with this kit. The??y’ll be the belle of the ball�?or rather, the nightclub.

Castle Estate

Modern-style homes may be incredibly popular in both the building community and real life, but some of want to make extravagant castles. That’s exactly what the Castle Estate kit is for.

You’ll get a lovely selection of windows, doors, wall decorations, stairs and stair railings, and plenty more to create the most regal home on the blo??????????????????????????ck. Whether you decide to put royalty in the castle is up to you, though.

Grunge Revival

What was your childhood without the older kid who could do all the cool stunts on their skat??eboard? Nothing, that’s what. And now, you can make that teenager right in your Sims save file.

The Grunge Revival kit comes with, you guessed it, grunge-style pieces like tops, pants, shoes, and jewelry to deck out your Sims with. It doesn�?�t actually matter if your Sim can skate or not because at least they’ll look cool.

Blooming Rooms

So many plants! What else is there to say? If you’re a fan of stuffing as much green into your Sim’s house as you can, than this is the only kit you need to add to ??your shopping cart. Hanging plants, ?floor plants, anything you can imagine, it’s all here.

Incheon Arrivals

A lot of CAS kits tend to focus on a specific subset of fashion. While there’s nothing wrong with that, the Incheon Arrivals kit stands out since it comes with clothing that ??would work for Sims of any age.

There’s plenty of stuff for your teens and young adults, but these fashions would look just as app??ropriate on an elder, too. Everyone lo??ves versatility.

Basement Treasures

As you’ll see on this list, some of the best DLC for The Sims 4 contains plenty of items to simply clutter up your home with. The Basement Treasures kit ?is special since it’s filled with retro-styled items.

From an old, clunky TV to the obviously faux houseplant made famous by The Sims 1, these buy mode items ar?e some of the best ones in the game. Finally, your Sim’s home will look like s?omeone has lived there longer than five years. 

Poolside Splash

Something the base game of The Sims 4 doesn’t do well is a large variety of modern swimwear. Sure, you have some good ones, but there isn’t much variety. Luckily, the Poolside Splash kit is here to save the day.

It comes with a plethora of swimwear for all your Sims, male, female, big, sm??all, and anything in between. Finally, your Sims will look fashionable while at the pool or beach.

Bathroom Clutter

Every Sim needs a bathroom, and like all of us in real life, they’re bathrooms probably won’t be the most pristine room in the house. That’s why the Bathroom Clutter kit is perfect for realism.

You can clutter up your shower, countertop, and everywhere else with this kit. It ?adds a great touch of realism to your home, and it will look natural in any house.

Everyday Clutter

We’ve made it very clear that we’re fans of clutter. The Everyday Clutter kit is the penultimate buy mode kit for this exact reason ?since it’s filled with random items to just place all over your house.

Nothing looks stranger than when a Sim’s house is eerily empty, and this kit solves that problem for you. Keys, headphones, and more are packed into this k??it so you can clutter up your home to your heart’s content.

The post Top 10 Kits for The Sims 4 appeared first on Destructoid.