What is it with the Horizon series and coming out right before genre-shaking barnstormers?  Horizon: Forbidden West  is excellent with a few trickly foibles, just as  Horizon: Zero Dawn  was. But now my life is all  Elden Ring  for the foreseeable future, and with some other pretty hot games on the medium-term horizon… I just can’t see myself finding any more time to play it. This all happened before, remember? Horizon: Zero Dawn released on February 28, 2017. It was a neat open-world game with beautiful graphics, a personable protagonist, and a really cool vibe, and sense of style. But then, four days later, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released. The board was wiped clean by Nintendo’s foray into open world action-adventure design. What is it with the Horizon series and coming out right before genre-shaking barnstormers?  Horizon: Forbidden West  is excellent with a few trickly foibles, just as  Horizon: Zero Dawn ...

  As  Gran Turismo 7  starts to officially land on doormats and the digital version unlocks for players around the world, there’s a good chance that millions of you will be picking up the game. With a huge new game in front of players, with so many things to do, see, buy, and race, it’s pretty likely that there’ll be questions. Lots of questions. We’ve been keeping an eye on the GTPlanet forums and social media channels, as well as the wider internet, over the last few weeks to compile a list of the most-frequently asked questions out there, and their answers. As understanding of the title evolves over the coming days, we’ll be adding more questions and answers to help everyone get the most out of  Gran Turismo 7 . If you have questions you think could go into this FAQ, ask them in the comments thread. When does  Gran Turismo 7  come out? Gran Turismo 7  will launch at midnight in your local timezone on March 4, 2022 What devices can I use to play...

  Publisher Bethesda Softworks and developer Tango Gameworks have released the  Ghostwire: Tokyo – Prelude  visual novel for free for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 via PlayStation Store. PC users will be able to experience the  Prelude  for free via Steam and Epic Games Store starting March 8. Here is an overview of the visual novel, via Bethesda Softworks: Dive deeper into the world of  Ghostwire  with the  Ghostwire: Tokyo – Prelude . In this exciting visual novel adventure, players will join the mysterious KK and his team of supernatural detectives as they investigate an unusual disappearance. However, along their journey they’ll stumble upon something even more sinister. Players can choose different interactions with KK’s associates to piece together their stories in  Ghostwire ‘s unique prequel. Ghostwire: Tokyo  is an  action   adventure game ...

  Can you believe more than eight years have passed since the last full  Gran Turismo  game? Actually, who am I kidding—fans of the series have become accustomed to lengthy waits between installments. That wait is very nearly over, though, because on Thursday,  Gran Turismo 7  arrives for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles. It has been a wait filled with some trepidation. Although  GT  titles were massively overrepresented in my very unscientific ranking of console racing games a while back, some installments of the franchise from Polyphony Digital have not been as good as others—looking at you,  GT5 . But that was then, and this is now, and there's an entirely new generation of hardware to show off the series' trademark dazzling realism. GT7  shows that Polyphony Digital has not lost its touch. There's room for improvement—history suggests that updates will happen over time—and there's no doubt that the game plays better ...

  And just like that the Nintendo Switch was set to have its biggest year since launch. The pieces moved into place slowly (and might not hold), but on paper at least, the portable console’s 2022 is set to be bookended by  Pokémon Legends: Arceus  and  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 , with a whole lot more between. It’s 2017 all over again, but bigger. That year saw the Switch launch with  BOTW  and then follow-up with  Splatoon 2  and  Mario Odyssey  in the months that followed.  It seemed like an accident , in part because  BOTW  was supposed to come to Wii U years earlier, and one unlikely to be repeated. And yet, as the Switch hits the  middle of its hardware lifecycle , that seems to be what’s happening. The Nintendo release calendar has a way of sneaking up on you. That’s what happened last fall when a seemingly sleepy season for Switch  ended up holding its own against the competition , thanks t...

  George R.R. Martin is credited as a key voice behind  Elden Ring , helping game director Hidetaka Miyazaki conceive the otherworldly fantasy setting of From Software’s latest blockbuster video game. But thirty hours into the adventure, I haven’t noticed many particular storylines or environments that echo Martin’s most popular work of fantasy,  Game of Thrones . In fact, the only connection is a borderline blatant nod to the hit book series turned prestige TV phenomenon. [ Ed. note:  This story contains minor spoilers for a weapon in  Elden Ring .] As far as references go, the sword, rewarded upon pummeling a minor boss, is an awesome one. Dubbed the Grafted Blade Greatsword, the blade converts  Game of Throne ’s singular throne made from dozens of swords into a singular sword made from dozens of swords. The weapon isn’t especially challenging to retrieve (you’ll probably be powerful enough to beat the necessary foes after 10-20 hours) but once you pluck ...

  Smithing Stones are extremely important materials in  Elden Ring , allowing players to upgrade their weapons and shields. In the earliest stages of the game, fans will need to use Smithing Stone [1] and Smithing Stone [2] to power up their gear, though they may be uncertain about where they can find these materials. Fortunately,  Elden Ring 's Smithing Stone [1] and [2] are not exceedingly rare, and this guide will detail the easiest way to obtain them in large quantities. Elden Ring: How to Buy Smithing Stone 1 & 2 Players that are interested in obtaining an abundance of Smithing Stone [1] and [2] should consider simply buying these materials. Indeed, it is possible to use Runes to purchase an unlimited number of these two types of Stones, which makes it very easy to put a few preliminary upgrades on numerous  weapons in  Elden Ring . Fans will not be able to buy Smithing Stone [1] and [2] straightaway, though, as they must first fulfill a couple of prere...