When people hear “video game adaptation,�they usually think of movies or television shows. Many of these re-imaginings are solid, and even the worst ones are fun to watch with friends. However, some of?? the best video game adaptations I’ve seen and read have been comic books and gr?aphic novels.

I've loved comics and video games since I was too short to reach the top shelves at most comic and game stores. Since then, ?I’ve read dozens of comics based on video games. A few struck out hard, but others are fantastic companions to their source material, perfectly re-creating the feel of the games they're from and building on?? their lore in fun ways.

Opinions are subjective, especially regarding both mediums I'm about to discuss. But, if you were to ask me, here are the top ten best comics/graphic novel??s based on video games.

10. Assassin's Creed

Ubisoft’s future is as dim as sunset nowadays, but Assassin’s Creed is still full of unexplored potential. The seriesâ€?core concept, cerebral time travel, allows it to tell a story in any era of human history, and the Assassin’s Creed comic by Titan Comics (and la???ter Dark Horse) takes full advantage of that glorious fact. 

Told from the perspective of accountant-turned-Assassin recruit Charlotte de la Cruz, the Assassin’s Creed comic feels like well-written and drawn fanfiction. We get to see Assassins sneak around settings we’ll probably never get to explo?re in ?the video game, including the Salem Witch Trials and the fall of the Inca Empire, and a story built around familiar franchise tropes like the Pieces of Eden ties it all together in a satisfying bow.

9. The Halo Graphic Novel

I vividly remember the awe that shot down my spine when I first loaded up Halo: Combat Evolved. The series�galaxy-spanning setting feeds my science-fiction-loving heart, but the main games�stalwart focus on Master Chief can make it hard to appreciate its full scope. The bluntly named Halo Graphic Novel may feature the original SPARTAN, but his s??tory doesn’t define it.

A four-part anthology series, Halo Graphic Novel explores undiscovered corners of the Halo universe through new characters and settings. Some highlights include a manga-inspired story by Tsutomu Nihei that features no dialogue, a? horror-thriller orbiting around the ??Flood, and a grounded drama that presents humanity’s war with the Covenant through the eye of a frontline reporter.

8. Mass Effect

Mass Effect’s setting is almost as grand in scale as Halo’s, but the series' focus on individual characters allowed it to explore more of its universe’s nooks and crannies. That said, the Mass Effect comics by Dark Horse help fill in the gaps that games didn't have time to fill, even if you're?? one of those players who's re-played the games multi??ple times to experience every story branch.

The Mass Effect comics shift attention from Commander Shepard to give more details about the lives of the Normandy c??rew before the game. Players who took the time to get to know their crewmates already know about the events the comics explore, but seeing these events play out through their eyes adds another layer of depth to their histories. It also helps that the art is awe-inspiring.

7. Life is Strange

If you ask me, the Life is Strange games have always felt like interactive comic books. The chapter/episode-based nature of their stories mimics the issue-by-issue narrative format most comics follow, and the series�trademark cel-shaded art style would look right at home in a panel grid. This probably explains why the Life is Strange comic by Penguin Random House works so well.

Set in the aftermath of Life is Strange’s “Sacrifice Arcadia�ending, the comic follows Max Caulfield and Chloe Price as they try to come to terms with their relationship and choices, all while Max’s time-jumping powers develop in chaotic ways. Expertly recreating the expressive art style of the games, Life is Strange takes advantage of the comic medium to tell a new story with? familiar charac??ters rooted in themes of consequence, avoidance, and acceptance.

6. Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep

Bloodborne is one of my all-time favorite games, an adventure I return to at least once yearly. There’s something magnetic about the Victorian-influenced, Lovecraft-inspired world of Yharnam, and the main game’s cryptic storytelling left a snarlin??g horde of enticing mysteries unsolved. ??While we still don't have a sequel, we have an epic comic by Titan Comics.

Telling a unique story that revisits many of the main game’s iconic locales, the Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep comic is a rip-roaring nightmare in comic form. Piotr Kowalski's art effortlessly recaptures the subtle beauty and overt horror of Bloodborne’s level design, re-capturing the shadowy streets of Yharnam and the misty shores o??f the Fishing Hamlet. While the story isn’t always coherent, it stays true ?to the original game's spirit by raising fascinating questions and giving readers enough clues to forge their own answers.

5. Tomb Raider

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Lara Croft was the defining factor behind Tomb Raider’s success. Most games in the series are fun to play, but L??ara’s raw wit, natural agility, and undeniable sex appeal helped the series reach peaks of success other action-adventure games have struggled to achieve.

While the games did a solid job of establishing Lara’s character, the Tomb Raider comics by Top Cow. Set in the same community as the original Tomb Raider games, these comics explored Lara’s backstory, establishing her as a child of nobility who abandoned her life of privilege after a traumatic yet enlightening near-death experience. Both Tomb Raider reboots reuse??d elements of this comic's backstory, which should prove to you how good the story of these comics is.

4. Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2 has always thrived on the strength of its cast. Armed with personalities as unique and eccentric as their weaponry, TF2’s maniacal mercenaries have always felt like the cast of a gruesome slapstick comedy. Unsurprisingly, that’s the vibe the pages of Valve’s Team Fortress 2 comic strive to recreate. At first, at least.

At launch, the Team Fortress 2 comic was little more than a gag comic, tied together by a loose narrative about Mann Co., which employs TF2’s playable characters. However, as th??e comic continues, the lore becomes a surprisingly complex narrative tapestry enveloping every beat of the story. The comic even ends on a remarkably touching note, a milestone many long-running comics never reach.

3. Injustice: Gods Among Us

Injustice: Gods Among Us is based on a single question: What if Superman, the paragon of the DC Universe, broke bad? Injustice and its sequel answered this question well enough, but a story this fascinating could never reach its full potential with just two games. That’s where the Injustice comics come in.

Embracing the game’s popularity, DC expanded Injustice's dystopian universe into an official branch of the DC multiverse. Following the Man of Steel’s tragic fall from start to end, the Injustice comics sh??ow the full impact of Superman’s turn to tyranny, expl?oring how his new, authoritarian approach to justice affects every corner of the DC universe. It’s like a car crash; it’s hard to watch but harder to turn away from.

2. The Last of Us: American Dreams

At its core, The Last of Us is the story of Ellie, a girl born into a world ravaged by a fungus that turns people into mindless, clicking zombies. While Ellie’s bond with Joel drives the story of both games, the prequel comic The Last of Us: American Dreams, explores her relationship with??, arguably, the second most impor?tant person in her life: Reily.

Set a year before the events of the first game’s heart-wrenching DLC, The Last of Us: Left Behind, The Last of Us: American Dreams recounts the beginning of Ellie and Reily’s fateful friendship. With a simplistic yet expressive art style and an interesting duo of main characters, The Last of Us: American Dreams is, in my humble opinion, essential reading for any The Last of Us fan.

1. Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog has had several comic adaptions, and the ongoing comic by IDW was a solid contender for this list. However, most fans agree that the best Sonic comic out there is Sonic the Hedgehog by Archie Comics.

Casting the Blue Blur as the leader of a resistance group battling the mechanized tyranny of Dr. Ivo “Eggman�Robotnik, Sonic the Hedgehog is a wild ride. Even at its lowest points, Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog is fascinating to read, and when it’s ?riding high, it touches the clouds. Characters have clear arcs, storylines take interesting tur??ns, and the charm of classic Sonic titles bleeds into every page.

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Game development is getting more and more costly, in ter??ms of both time and money, which makes a lot of sense, seeing as video games (especially AAA ones) have become more ambitious in nature. This, however, is also admittedly quite frustrating for gamers all around the world because companies tend to announce new projects years in advance and then go on complete radio silence for extensive periods of time, without releasing any new information, images or trailers.

Making video games takes time, and we always prefer companies not to rush or overwork developers, but they also should stop announcing video games so eagerly, sometimes before they even have any gameplay to show. As a result of this alarmingly common practice, there are now a?? lot of announced video games that we know very little about and are seemingly taking too much time to come out.

Marvel's Blade (Announced in 2023)

During The Game Awards 2023, Bethesda and Arkane Lyon revealed a brand-new game based on the iconic vampire hunter from Marvel Comics: Blade. The teaser trailer is ver?y ?brief and doesn't show much, but we can't deny that it's oozing with style since Blade is a flat-out cool character, and his dark stories are perfect for a fun and unique action game.

Sadly, as promising as Marvel's Blade looks, it has been almost a year since the original announcement and Bethesda has yet to disclose any more information on the project. Naturally, fans are wondering when it's going to come out. To make things even worse, there are rumors that we may not be able to play it until 2027. The timing couldn't be more unfortunate, as Marvel Studios is reportedly having a lot of trouble with the production of the upcoming MCU Blade film starring Mahershala Ali. But who knows, maybe we'll receive a s??econd trailer during this year's Game Awards?

TMNT: The Last Ronin (Announced in 2023)

2024 saw the release of various Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video games, like Mutants Unleashed or Wrath of the Mutants. So it may be easy to forget that there's an AAA title based on the legendary The Last Ronin comic book that it's currently in development. And you may have completely forgotten about it because we still know almost nothing about it, aside from the fact that it's heavily inspired by the new God of War games.

Simply titled TMNT: The Last Ronin (The Game), Black Forest Games, who was behind the recent Destroy All Humans! remaster, is currently working on this intriguing proj??ect. I understand why they are carefully taking their time, as this game has the potential to be a Ghost of Tsushima-type adventure but with the Ninja Turtles as playable characters instead. Nevertheless, it's kind of odd that it has been more than a year, and we still have not seen any real in-game footage of this project.

Iron Man (Announced in 2022)

It's undeniable that Superheroes have exploded in popularity in the past decade, mainly due to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Said universe made Tony Stark / Iron Man a lot more famous in the eyes of mainstream audiences, so it's no surprise that Disney would want to take advantage of the character's newfound popularity. That's why they partnered with Electronic Arts in order to announce a brand-new third-person, action-adventure Iron Man game in 2022.

Motive Studio, the developers behind the recent Dead Space remake, are currently working on this project, which sounds great because they have proven that they're a talented team and Iron Man is a fun and beloved superhero who never got the best treatment when it comes to video games, especially when we compare him to Spider-Man or Batman. However, it has already been more than 2 years since the initial announcement, and we still know nothing about it. Not to mention that Motive Studio is also working on a new Battlefield game, so there are always concerns that they might be biting more than they can chew. This isn't even the only Marvel project that Electronic Arts is currently working on, seeing as it also announced an open-world Black Panther game in 2023, and we know very little about that one, too.

Kingdom Hearts 4 (Announced in 2022)

After much anticipation, Squar?e Enix and Disney announced ??the long-awaited fourth numbered entry in the beloved Kingdom Hearts series back in April 2022, in celebration of the franchise's 20th anniversary. This trailer was incredibly exciting, as it showed Sora in the mysterious city of Quadratum, meeting Strelitzia (a character from Kingdom Hearts: Union χ) and fighting a gigantic Heartless with a seemingly refreshing new take on the series' signature combat system. Needless to say, Kingdom Hearts fans are extremely excited about t??his new game, myself included.

And that's it. After more than 2 years, that's pretty much all we know about Kingdom Hearts 4, aside from some minor tidbits that director Tetsuya Nomura revealed in a few interviews. Fans of this franchise are anything if not patient, so they theorized that Square Enix was waiting to release Final Fantasy VII Rebirth before shifting its focus to the marketing of Kingdom Hearts 4. Nevertheless, it has been 10 months since Rebirth's release, and the company hasn't shown any new trailers or images of Sora's next adventure. To make things even worse, Square also revealed a new AR mobile game titled Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link, the same day as Kingdom Hearts 4 and while it still hasn't come out after 2 years, at least we know a lot more about it, even though the ?company delayed its 2024 release very recentl??y.

Marvel's Wolverine (Announced in 2021)

I'm sure you already recognized a pattern on this list: Most of these upcoming video games are projects based on popular Marvel superheroes. One of the most anticipated ones is undoubtedly Insomniac's Wolverine game, which Sony originally announced back in 2021 during one of its m?any PlayStation Showcase livestr?eams. At the time, we knew that it was going to take a long while for Marvel's Wolverine to come out since the studio was quite busy working on Marvel's Spider-Man 2 as well.

But, Spider-Man 2 came out more than a year ago, and Insomniac and Sony have yet to reveal any more information on their upcoming Wolverine game. Unlike most other entries on this list, however, we may know exactly why both companies have gone on complete radio silence regarding this title. In late 2023, a group of hackers stole private files from Insomniac and shared multiple in-development images and videos of Marvel's Wolverine online. This incident appears to have affected the development of multiple projects at Insomniac; although the studio hasn't said anything about it, it may have resulted in a delay for Wolverine, too.

PROJECT 007 (Announced in 2020)

Many people consider Rare's Nintendo 64 adaptation of the James Bond film GoldenEye one of the?? best and most revolutionary first-person shooters ever made. Agent 007 has starred in multiple solid video games ever since, but none of them have reached the great heights of GoldenEye 64. However, there is hope: IO Interactive is currently developing a new James Bond game with the working title of PROJECT 007.

IO Interactive is the studio behind the modern Hitman games, so these developers definitely know a lot about stealth and espionage. However, the studio hasn't revealed much information about PROJECT 007 to the public since it was announced back in 2020, and the game's official websit?e b?arely has any images in it. While it will have an original story, we don't even know which actor's likeness it's going to use f??or James Bond. It's possible that IO Interactive is waiting for the official announcement of the next James Bond actor in order to reveal more information about this mysterious game.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake (Announced in 2020)

There's no denying that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is one of the most creative and influential video games that Ubisoft has ever put out, and the announcement of a full-scale remake fo?r modern systems was one of the mo??st exciting projects that the company has revealed in the past few years... until we took a look at its lackluster trailer. Reading the text that says "Available January 21, 2021" o?n that video's description is as funny as it is tragic because Ubisoft went into full-on damage control mode after fans reacted negatively to it.

While we have seen a fair share of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake images and videos, the fact that Ubisoft keeps delaying its release date, coupled with statements from the developers claiming that they used the feedback to chang??e th??e game as much as possible, means that we can't be entirely sure of how the finished version (that will supposedly release in 2026) is going to look. It's a good thing that Ubisoft is taking its time so it can be sure it won't disappoint fans of this legendary game (an?d at least we know the st??udio completely cancelled this remake). Still, this entire stor?y is proof that maybe the company shouldn't announce some of its AAA video games s??o quickly.

Hollow Knight: Silksong (Announced in 2019)

Unlike all the other titles on this list, Hollow Knight: Silksong is an indie game made by a smaller studio, Team Cherry. Back in 2019, it announced th??is sequel to the beloved 201??7 indie darling Hollow Knight, which was originally going to be DLC for said game until the developers decided to turn it into a full-blown new installment. That's good and all, but after revealing some images and trailers with promising gameplay in them, Hollow Knight: Silksong has completely disappeared from the face of the pla??net.

Team Cherry is a smaller team, and so far, it hasn't reported any major setbacks; it's just that the development of Silksong is taking a lot of time to complete. Hollow Knight fans have been incredibly understandable and patient about this, but they are also begging for the studio to reveal more information. Every single Nintendo Direct, PlayStation Showcase, Gamescom or any similar gaming news event is an emotional rollercoaster for these fans, who are eage?rly waiting for even the smallest of updates.

The Elder Scrolls VI (Announced in 2018)

During Bethesda's E3 2018 conference, Todd Howard went on stage and announced The Elder Scrolls VI. Seven years ?after the release of the incredible The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, we finally had confirmation that the next entry in this legendary RPG series was in development. But little did we know that this was the firs?t and last time we were going to see this game in the span of 6 years.

Bethesda is famous for creating expansive and ambitious open worlds, having revealed another similar project, Starfield, at the very same conference. The studio most likely focused on Starfield for all these years. Now that it's finally released, the developers can continue working on The Elder Scrolls VI. Regardless of what Bethesda is doing now, Todd Howard should have never revealed this game with so much fanfare in a clear effort to appease Elder Scrolls fans who have been asking for a Skyrim sequel for so long. Announcing such an an?ticipated video game, only to not show any more images, videos or information for over 6 years is downright absurd.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 (Announced in 2008, Re-Announced in 2017)

One of the most infamous unreleased video games in the history of the industry is Beyond Good & Evil 2. Ubisoft originally announced it back in 2008, and its reveal trailer showed th?at it was seemingly going to be a standard sequel with the same main characters from the first game: Jade and Pey'j. But this was sadly never meant to be, as Beyond Good and Evil 2 went through a lot of development issues and changes before disappearing from the face of the planet for almost a decade.

But Ubisoft reignited the fan's hopes when it re-revealed Beyond Good and Evil 2 during its E3 2017 conference. This was a new version of the game: A prequel with a completely new cast of colorful characters and a bigger focus on open-world gameplay. It may not have been what most fans were hoping for, but it still looked entertaining and promising. Unfortunately, as you can expect from Ubisoft, it stopped revealing information on this game ever since. Some fans are afraid that the company canceled Beyond Good and Evil 2 - with some theorizing that it was retooled into Star Wars Outlaws - but it's still in development within Ubisoft. It certainly hasn't been easy, especially after the game's original director, Emile Morel, passed away in 2023, and the comp?any assigned Fawzi Mesma?r as the new director as recently as October 2024.

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GameStop's a shadow of the gaming staple it once wa??s and is closing stores left and right, including 78 in 2024 alone. Times are so hard lately that the? retailer is in the Funko Pop! business as much as gaming these days.

And the re?cently opened GameStop "Retro" stores aren't going to change that. Marred by poor execution and bad marketing, this new st??rategy is liable to run out of gas before it gains any ground.

Starting line slip-up

It's no secret GameStop continues to fall further and further from grace, flailing around with increasingly more desperate bids for?? relevance. On August 27, they announced the grand opening of their retro stores via X, formerly Twitter, claiming "THE CLASSICS ARE BACK."

The retailer advertised carrying games and consoles going all the way back to the third generation. But if you didn't know this happened, you're not alone. Even employees remained in the dark until just before launch. One told YouTuber Jacob R, "I actually found out from a customer. She told me a week before I actually found out fr?om my district manager."

You'd think GameStop would want to market this business move with more than a handful of tweets, but you'd be wrong. And although the retro stores received a dedicated store locator, it's difficult to find it if you don't already know about it?. It is buried deep within the website's sidebar along with its retro gaming catalog.

Adding insult to injury, the site heavily adver??tises that GameStop now buys and sells PSA-graded trading cards. It's jumping into a market it isn't known for while it buries the new retro stores that deal in its bread and butter. The saddes?t part of this lackluster marketing is that there's no signage indicating which GameStops are retro stores. The only ways to tell one apart from a regular shop are to go in or use the store locator online.

Unsurprisingly, content creators descended upon social media with overwhelmingly negative reviews in the weeks since GameStop Retro's launch, citing a thin selection of games and a lack of consoles alongside the nonexistent marketing. Jacob R said, "I really want to emphasi??ze how poorly they're selling the whole retro thing," and "I mean, it's bad man," referring to his experience with the store. Fellow YouTuber The Radical One mentioned, "but the retro selection was just like I thought it was gonna be," and "Um, they figur??e ??retro is more 7th generation type stuff." At this point, these developments caught my eye, and I decided to see for myself if GameStop Retro was as bad as advertised.

GameStop Retro in the flesh

Using the retro store locator, I found the nearest one was a little over an ho?ur south of me. Nothing wrong with a day trip. Upon reaching the store, I confirmed that nothing outside signifies that it's supposed to be different from other GameStops.

It's the same way inside. Funko, plushies, figurines, and pins dominated the area surrounding the front counter, while the other wall was lined up with PlayStation 5, Switch, and Xbox Series titles. It still had some issues of Game Informer, but I don't think that qualifies as retro just yet. Clearly, the st?ore's focus is still current-gen gaming and collectibles.

Making my way to the back of the shop, I found what I made this trip for: the? retro gaming section. One pitiful stretch of wall with eight shelves was the entire thing. I will give GameStop this: the shelving was very organized. They were divided into secti??ons for Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo consoles, all alphabetized by game title.

I was hoping to see real "classics" as advertised. You know, some old Nintendo carts, a PlayStation light gun, a Sega Saturn controller, that kind of stuff. Instead, I saw GameStop's definition of retro, which is mostly limited to Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and Wii U. There were less than a dozen games for the PS2, PSX, Xbox, and GameCube altogether. The only console older than 8th-gen was a singular Wii. I mean, GameStop has sold 7th-gen games for years now. So, without addin??g something new to the formula, like carrying older consoles and peripherals, it's disingenuous to brand these shops as retro.

One shelf had some games from the 5th and 6th generations on it, but GameStop's pricing is above market value in most cases. For example, a copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, worth $18-19 according to pricecharting.com, went for over $30 there. Also, a GameCube copy of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle sold for over $60, which is well over its going rate online and even? surpasses the rate of a sealed copy.

GameStop Retro is such a missed opportunity on multiple fronts. With proper marketing, it could attract business from collectors, nostalgia-seeking casuals, and people looking to make a few bucks by trading in their old collections. It could help combat the slow decay of physical gaming, which would go a long way in repairing ??GameStop's reputation amongst customers. And it could prevent inflation in the second-hand market by stabilizing prices.

It seems like GameStop isn't sure what lane it wants to be in, as evidenced ?by the promotion of trading cards on its site. And with the la?ck of push for the retro shops, it either doesn't care or doesn't know how to capitalize on that market. Currently, it's sticking its fingers in all sorts of pies but won't commit to eating one.

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After getting back into LEGO this year, I learned that LEGO has been making some pretty good sets based on video games. From Minecraft, to Mario, to even the likes of Portal, LEGO has built some amazing looking sets.

There are even more amazing video game sets coming out this year too, including the first Z??elda set and the Fortnite Battle Bus. But we already have so many great?? ones to choose from, so without further ado here are some of the best.

10. Portal 2 Level Pack

Did you know LEGO made a Portal 2 set that was a tie-in with their short-lived video game Lego Dimensions? Yup, and it even has a Chell minifigure and p??ortal gun.

For the builds, you get a turret and companion cube. However, because of it being a toys-to-life product, it means they are small and not up to the usual standard of the typical LEGO builds you’re used to. But if you’re a LEGO and Portal fan, this one is a no-brainer.

9. D.Va and Reinhardt

I almost forgot LEGO partnered with Overwatch, but that par??tnership did give us a sweet LEGO D.Va and Reinhardt. The D.va mech build is incredibly accurate, while Reinhardt's is a bit too bi?g for my liking.

The mini figures included are so detailed and ??a reason alone to pick up this set. The mechs pose well and will look great on any shelf.

8. PAC-MANArcade

We haven’t gotten a full size LEGO arcade cabinet set yet, but the LEGO PAC-MAN Arcade is pretty close. It contains a nifty feature that lets you simulate a game of PAC-MAN with the turn of a crank.

The side b?uilds are a nice add on, one having a fun mechanic that turns Pac-Man to chase the ghosts and another a small mini-figur??e scale arcade to play at. It’s a tad expensive but a neat display piece.

7. Piranha Plant

What is an adult-oriented LEGO Super Mario set that isn’t over 100 dollars? This silly little Piranha Pla?nt!

It’ll go grea??t with your LEGO botanical collection and is secretly a piggy bank too. It lacks possibility, but it more than makes up for it in charm. Just look at the smi??le.

6. Super Mario Bowser’s Airship

Bowser is riding in style in th?is huge airship set. At least, he would be if? he was in this set.

It is ??both displayable and highly playable. If you have an electronic Mario figure, you can even do a huge boss fight on it by folding out the whole ship. I personally love the adorable Bo??wser face at the front of the boat and hidden features, like defeating the huge mechanical hand

7. Nintendo Entertainment System

If you want a LEGO set to really impress any gamers who come to your place, this is the one. This set is not only impressive for an almost life-like looking replica for the original NES, but also has a mind-blowing play feature of replicating the original Super Mario Bros.

It even comes with a LEGO cartridge you can stick into the console and mimics the feeling of the real thing pretty well. Only one problem with this set: I could buy an actual NES and Super Mario Bros. for less.

4. Sonic the Hedgehog: Green Hill Zone

If you ever wanted to have Green Hill Zone from the original Sonic the Hedgehog game sitting right on your desk, now you can with this retro-style set. It is almost like LEGO took a section of the first level right out ??of the game, with lives on the bottom corner and all.

The pixelated details on t?he grass are fun touches and the designs for the enemies are a plus. However, the ?same can’t be said about that freaky-looking Dr. Eggman. Beyond that, this is a nice throwback display.

3. Minecraft: The Crafting Table

I loved the Minecraft micro-build worlds back in the day, but this feels like a fully realized version of those to me??. It has so many biomes and mobs represented, from a ?little village to the ice spires.

There are many display options too, like turning it around and revealing a lovingly recreated crafting table. Also, if?? you take off all the mini biomes, you can spot a map of?? the build underneath. While this set looks awesome, it is a tad expensive which brings it down.

2. Animal Crossing Isabelle’s House Visit

If you are going to get any of the LEGO Animal Crossing sets, this is the one to get. Firstly, the two minifigures included, Isabelle and Fauna, and some of the cute??st ever made.

Second, there are so many loveable details in this set. The house design is adorable (if a little underbuilt), there are coins and branches in the tree, and there’s even a K.K. Slider album LEGO tile included. It is an amazing package for Animal Crossing lovers.

1. Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck

This set is my personal favorite. The Tallneck build on its own is a beautiful robot build. You don't even need to be a Horizon fan to appreciate it.

The building techniques on this one are so impressive, with many sideways builds to get the angles perfect. Add in a perfect Aloy mini figure, a little Watcher machine, and a wonderful base that evokes the fe??eling of the game perfectly including the red reeds to sneak in, and you got yourself an incredible display.

The post Top 10 Best LEGO Video Game sets appeared first on Destructoid.

Even from a casual perspective, it's easy to see that the video game industry is worth a lot of money these days. You just need to look how much it costs to buy the average AAA release or Xbox increasing Game Pass prices again to see that. B????ut how much is it worth in total?

Well, according to an analysis from management consulting firm Bain & Company (as reported by Financial Express), the global revenue of the video game industry will be over $300 billion globally in the next few years. More specifically, it'll ??exceed $307 billion by the year 2027.

If the prediction is correct, ?this will represent a 9% increase on compound annual gr??owth rate, or CAGR. For a bit of perspective, the industry in total was worth around $199 billion as of 2022, Bain & company says.

All the video game industry buzzwords

It's no secret that gaming is currently in the midst of a "surge in deal activity," especially with the likes of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard for a jaw-melting $69 billion. It's possible, a??ccording to the report, that there may be an increase in simi??lar deals, which means "success will hinge on good franchise management, fan engagement, and the ability to attract and retain top talent."

The analysis also says that much of this growth comes fro??m younger games, adding that the industry is?:

Being ?driven by the heavy engagement of younger gamers, particularly those aged 13 to 17, who spend about 40% more time in video game?? environments than on other forms of media, including social media, music, and TV.

Customer service is also an increasingly important factor. The nature of gaming, as many of us have come to know it, is changing at a ra??pid pace, with players "expecting seamless transitions between game??play, [socializing], and commerce in both physical and virtual worlds."

As a result, video game companies are adapting to new trends and the shifting of the market in order to increase profits, which includes creating "highly [personalized] journeys for consumers, moving seamlessly acros??s devices and platforms."

I'll be the first to admit that I don?'t really understand how global economics works. However, many of us will not be surprised to see the video game industry be worth over $300 billion within the next few years. Equally, people aren't blindsided by the fact that the way we consume games is changing. It's just a question of whet?her this is a good thing in the long-run. I suppose it depends on who's financially benefitting from all this, and I think we all know the answer to that (hint: it's not you or me).

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It's tough to make a name for yourself in the video game world, especially on platforms like Steam??. Countless studios are vying for your attention (and money), but recent data shows that if you use certain words in your game's ??title, you might have a bit of an edge.

That's according to the latest newsletter from GameDiscoverCo (as spotted by PCGamer), a website that chronicles "how people discover and buy video games." It seems as though there's a correlation bet?ween certain words used and revenue generated. For example: Steam games that feature the word "HD" or "manager" earn a median revenue of around $63,000 and $33,000, respectively.

[caption id="attachment_402213" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image via GameDiscoverCo.[/caption]

Perhaps unsurprisingly in this era, "remastered" yields an average of ÂŁ32,000 income, while "gold" and "pro" can earn your ga??me around $11,000 and $16,000, respectively.

That explains why the Tycoon series is so popular

The study contains a list of over 200 words that are used in Steam game titles. A breakdown from GameDiscoverCo reveals some i??nteresting facts about these findings. For example: the median average across the board is "worryingly low." However, this is ??almost certainly due to how popular and busy Steam is.

Adaptations tend to generate more revenue, so the aforementioned "HD," "remastered," "pro," and "gold" seem more likely to do we?ll than games that have words like "ball," "maze," or "jump" in them. This may be due to them being more simple or generic words.

The analysis a??lso looked at how frequently words cropped up in games. What you'l?l see from the above graph is just how many studios want to put the word "dead" into their titles.

Something to think about if you're looking to release your next Steam game: Dead Manager: The Ultimate Tycoon Pro (HD, Remastered)

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So soon after GameStop pulled out of Ireland

A lot of people are more likely to opt for digital copies of games rather than physical ones these days. In fact, 70% of games sold in 2022 were digital downloads, and there's little reason to suggest this trend won't continue. As such, retailers may see less and less reason to stock actual physical sto??ck, and that's what's? currently happening in the United Kingdom.

According to a report from GamesIndustry.biz, Tesco - one of the UK's biggest supermarket chains - will stop selling physical copies of games across all 2,800 of its outlets. It seems as though the retail giant is making ??the change due to the move "towards digital entertainment."

[caption id="attachment_392240" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image via VGC.[/caption]

The company has said i?t will continue to sell digital store points, however, but physical copies will not be sold once current stocks have depleted.

Digital is king, it seems

This development comes not long after GameStop had to cease operating in Ireland, closing all 35 stores in the country, eight of which were in the capital city of Dublin. GameStop made the announcement on Instagram back in May. It seems physical copies are just becoming less and less prevalent in this modern gaming era. Another report says that 87% in the UK of sales of Diablo 4, Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, and F1 23 were through digital downloads.

That doesn't necessarily mean physical games won't still be around for some time. The current-gen release of The Witcher 3 launched physical copies at the start of 2023, and a bit further down the line, the hit indie game Stray also released a physical edition.

However, the fact that these were news stories shows just how rare it's becoming. ??Even though there may be some of you out there who want to retain physical media, digital gam??ing is now proving itself to be the dominant choice.

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Looking back over 25 years of the animation block's enduring reviews

Toonami celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. For many, it was a window into so many worlds; it was how you learned about Dragon Ball, Tenchi Muyo, and Outlaw Star. It was the after-school animation programming with hype and lights, battle??s and arcs. And Too?nami also had video game reviews.

Growing up, those reviews were unknowingly forming my basis for learning about video games. My best means for learning wha??t games were cool was word of mouth and the occasional magazine or demo disc, but Toonami was a pipeline of video ?game information.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLwF_0Z2KHY

As I was nostalgically looking back on old Toonami promos today in light o??f the 25th anniversary, I stumbled across some of the reviews from my era of Toonami viewing. Between the adventures of my favorite anime protagonists, I'?d hear about some cool new PlayStation 2 game that might be worth looking into.

To its credit, Toonami covered a surprising breadth of games. The animation block's Wiki is a great repository for all the scores and games covered over the many, many years. Many of the reviews, according to the Wiki, are written by Jason DeMarco or Gill Austin. At one point, Toonami even had written reviews. Yes, the Web Archive contains a full written review of Grandia for the PlayStation from Toonami.

There are novelties and oddities to behold, sure. Blue Stinger for the Dreamcast is the lowest-scored review from the team, at a 1 out of 5. Games like Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, and Soulcalibur earn full marks, while some dip lower. Someone at Toonami clearly loves the Hot Shots Golf series, and honestly, that's relatable.

There's also the time The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind earned an 8/10. Don't watch it for the score, though; watch it the excellent line delivery from TOM 2 voice actor ??Steve Blum.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad2gYL7iPOE

Jokes aside, I've been enthralled with revisiting these today??. They really do mark the developing landscape of video game coverage, especially as it grew into video formats. And the conversational tone feels ahead of its time. It's tough to pitch the game, sum up its many parts, and assess it in the span of a minute and a half. Toonami manages it pretty darn well.

And it's also worth noting that while I've gone over the older legacy reviews, Toonami game reviews are—much like the block itself—still rolling on. Its most recent score, via the Wiki, was an 8/10 for A Short Hike. And it looks like the block has made an effort to cover independent games too, including lesser-known games like Golf Club Wasteland, Ender Lilies, and Gris alongside the likes of Animal Crossing and Assassin's Creed.

So here's to Toonami, a block that got me into anime and also got me thinking about games at a very young age. They're not the sole reason I'm putting words on a page today, but it's hard not to look back fondly on these as some early sparks. Plus, they gave Beetle Adventure Racing the same score as Final Fantasy VII. That's just fantastic.

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