Category: FTW Video Games

F1 24 impressions: Diving into Career Mode

See our full impressions for F1 24.

A new Formula 1 video game is out, as EA SPORTS released F1 24, from developer Codemasters, on Friday. What’s new for sim racing and F1 fans this year?

Perhaps the biggest change in F1 24 is the introduction of “EA SPORTS Dynamic Handling,” a huge overhaul that could prove to be polarizing for veterans of the series. EA says that developers worked with F1 champ Max Verstappen to make car handling and performance feel more realistic in-game, and the result is something that does feel entirely different from earlier entries in the series, for better or worse.

At high speeds, zipping a car around some of the greatest circuits in the world in F1 24 feels great even on a controller – though in some cases too forgiving – but it’s at low speeds where you really notice the difference. There’s a much greater sensitivity and responsiveness to slow corners, making it all too easy to over-rotate your car and cut corners or hop curbs you never meant to. At tight tracks like Monaco, you’re going to need to log laps to come to grips with the new handling model, which at the moment leaves the car feeling a bit too light and maneuverable.

Career mode has been updated and given additional depth for F1 24, and players have plenty of options for a single-player journey through F1. You can play as an already existing driver and control their career as you see fit, you can create your own avatar and join a team – either directly in Formula 1 or starting in Formula 2 – or you can create a brand new 11th team on the grid.

I selected this option, as while F1 might be able to keep Andretti Global off the grid in real life, there was nothing stopping me from taking over as a driver/owner and signing a teammate. I was able to sign a driver from roster of current young stars, or F1 legends like Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Jenson Button.

Within career mode, advancing your “recognition” will be a goal every week, as when you complete challenges and deliver solid results on the track, your recognition will rise and make you a more valuable asset to other teams. You could find yourself invited to a secret meeting with a rival team looking to negotiate a future contract. Recognition also plays a role in the R&D side when developing your current team, as having more recognition will make it easier to improve your car over time.

There’s a new challenge career mode, which allows you to compete against other drivers on a leaderboard without having to brave online lobbies for live multiplayer. You’ll be given a series of different “episodes” to complete, where you’ll tackle race scenarios against the AI, with your difficulty setting affecting a score multiplier.

Single-player modes are where F1 24 impressively delivers on the same level as other standout sports games like MLB The Show, and it’s thanks to the competitive AI that you’ll be battling on track. At a lower difficulty, it isn’t too hard for a new player to blow away the field, but at higher difficulties, AI drivers can pose a significant challenge, and they behave in realistic ways – aggressively going for overtakes in braking zones and battling you wheel-to-wheel in tight spots on track.

The level of customization available within the My Team career falls a bit short when compared to other racing games like Gran Turismo, Forza or iRacing. Upon starting a new team, you’ll be given a few options for a team logo and a surprisingly small number of choices for a main paint scheme. You’ll be able to unlock more cosmetic options as you play by earning and spending in-game currency – but the livery editor doesn’t give you the tools to make something on the same level as the other teams you’ll be competing against.

On the multiplayer side, you can compete in open unranked lobbies, or take on ranked multiplayer where you’ll face opponents close to your own skill level and have the chance to progress to higher ranks with good results. There’s also an integrated F1 league option, where you can use an EA app to browse and join player-run leagues.

F1 24 releases on May 31st on PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox Series S/X and Xbox One.

The Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree trailer and 2024 release date is here

Who is Messmer? We’ll find out later in 2024.

We finally got a glimpse of the long-anticipated DLC for Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree, as the trailer was released by From Software in February.

Players will be traveling to the Land of the Shadow, where they will finally meet a character that has long been speculated to be the centerpiece of the DLC, Miquella. The brother of the ultra-hard boss from the base game, Malenia, Miquella, was only briefly seen in Elden Ring as his arm hangs out of an egg in the background of the Mohg fight. The slumbering empyrean will most likely feature as a boss, but one can hope that he will be an ally in this strange new land.

The trailer — see it below! — features a host of new weapons and bosses to test your skills against, including the introduction of Messmer the Impaler. During my first watch of the trailer, I assumed this menacing character was Miquella, but if you wait to see the info for the Collector’s edition, it shows this character’s name. Who is Messmer, and why are they trying to stop the tarnished? Players will be able to find out on June 21st!

Biggest reveals from February’s Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase

Nintendo of America held their Partner Showcase Direct on Wednesday and these were the biggest reveals and a look at some upcoming releases.

Nintendo of America held its annual February Direct on Wednesday, this time in the form of a Partner Showcase.

Instead of their usual live stream, Nintendo opted for a pre-recorded 23-minute montage featuring several upcoming releases, remakes, and additions to the Nintendo Switch Online service.

Here are some of the biggest reveals from the Partner Showcase, coming to Switch in the next few months.

6 tips to know before starting Last Epoch

Last Epoch releases on February 21st. Here are 6 things to know before you start the game.

A new contender in the action RPG space has it’s full release on Wednesday, February 21st, and PC gaming fans aren’t going to want to overlook it.

Last Epoch began as a Kickstarter project, and after a long early release period, patch 1.0 finally hit on Wednesday afternoon.

Fans of Diablo and Path of Exile will feel at home in Last Epoch, which has an interesting time-traveling storyline and some deep character building features that add plenty of replayability.

If you’re exploring around the lands of Eterra at launch, here’s a few tips to help get you started.

Palworld’s latest patch fixes Lifmunk Effigies bug, other issues

Palworld has released its latest patch for Xbox and Steam players that fixes the Lifmunk Effigies bug, among other issues.

Palworld has released its latest patch for Steam and Xbox and it contains one big fix players have been waiting for, among a handful of others.

If you’ve been farming Lifmunk Effigies, which can be used to increase your Pal capture rate via the Statue of Power, the game wasn’t actually registering the increase.

However, that has been fixed in this latest patch.

Fixed an issue where, although the displayed capture probability increased when the capture power was strengthened with Lifmunk Effigies, the capture probability did not actually increase at all due to an internal processing bug.

Now, a look at what else was included in the latest patch.

Palworld: All legendary Pals and where to find them

The four legendary Pals in Palworld and where to find them.

As you approach level 50 in Palworld, it’ll be time to to take on legendary Pals which, as you’d expect, are much more powerful and difficult to catch than any others you’ll encounter in the open world.

The four legendary Pals are Frostallion, Jetragon, Necromus and Paladius, and each are absolutely worth catching, especially if you need help with the final boss tower.

However, before you can go grab them, you’ll need to bring some things with you.

First, you’ll want Pals that are level 50 and strong against the legendary Pals’ element types, something we’ll go over shortly. Also, you’re going to need the proper weapons to help your Pal out, and the best to go with are the Assault Rifle and Rocket Launcher.

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And, last but certainly not least, having legendary Pal Spheres will best help you combat the low catch rate each has. Ultra Spheres work on them, also, but obviously your catch rate will be lower. No matter which one you use, make sure to bring plenty of them.

Two things each of these legendary Pals have in common are very powerful passive skills, one of which is “Legend” that gives +20% attack and defense, as well as +15% work speed. In addition, each has an element-specific passive that grants +20% damage to its element type.

If you’re looking to breed the strongest Pals possible, you want these passives as options. Now, a look at each legendary Pal and where to find them on the map.

Palworld: General tips to help players on their adventure

Some general tips for Palworld players as they go through their adventure.

As you start and progress through Palworld, the wildly-successful game from developer Pocketpair, you’ll have no shortage of questions that simply can’t be answered in-game.

Upon starting Palworld, which went into early access on Jan. 19 and has since seen a whopping 19 million players, I went in blind and that has led to some regrets about how I approached things in the early game.

Granted, none of these mistakes were backbreaking by any stretch, but having the knowledge I have now would have made life easier.

Knowing that, here’s a look at a bunch of tips for players to know that will help you avoid the same pitfalls many players have experienced.

Destiny 2 is teaming with Mass Effect and Bioware in a really cool collaboration

New Cosmetics are coming to Destiny 2

Destiny 2 developer Bungie has announced that a new collaboration is coming to the game, this time in the form of Bioware’s excellent sci-fi epic, Mass Effect. This follows collaborations with other video game franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Last of Us and The Witcher.

Players will be excited to hear that this round of cosmetics will be free of charge, a departure from the previous round of collaborations, which required silver — Destiny’s in-game currency — to purchase the items. Titans can suit up as Commander Sheppard and his N7 armor. At the same time, Hunters and Warlocks will be outfitted with the armor of two of Sheppard’s most recognizable squadmates, Garrus Vakarian and Liara T’Soni, respectively.

Also included in the Alliance Requisition Bundle are the Enhanced Defense Ghost Shell, the Alliance Drop Ship Sparrow, and the Alliance Scout Frigate Ship, a nod to the iconic Normandy (Joker not included). Players will also be able to purchase a finisher and emote for silver. These items will be available starting Feb. 13.

The best-selling video games of 2023

The 20 best-selling video games of 2023.

After what was yet another interesting and exciting year of video games, we’re taking a look back at the best-selling titles of 2023.

The top-20 list comes from Circana’s executive director and video game industry analyst Matt Piscatella. However, there are a few caveats to the list because of how companies report their sales, so keep that in mind.

When it comes to Nintendo, the company does not report digital sales to Circana, and Blizzard and Epic Games don’t report their PC game sales that are done through their respective stores.

In addition, the maker of Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios, does not share its numbers with Circana or else it might have made this list.

Nevertheless, here’s a look at the top-20 selling video games of 2023 based on the numbers compiled by Circana.

A definitive ranking of the top 30 video games of all time

Our newest batch of writers rank the best video games of all time

For many people, being able to name the best video game of all time can be challenging. Everyone plays different genres and consoles, and the library of games makes it nearly impossible to identify a favorite, let alone a game that can be considered the best. But here at For the Win, we like a challenge.

A talented group of writers and I will eventually bring you our picks for the best PlayStation 3 or sports games, but first, we put our heads together to get you FTW’s official Top 30 games of all time. Each contributor ranked his top 25 games, and the total scores were tallied golf style, with the total number of nominations breaking the tie. Read on to see which game took the top spot!