How To Start Off Strong In Assassin's Creed Shadows And More Of The Week's Top Tips

You’d be forgiven for thinking Yasuke is the starting character in the early moments of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The opening cutscene follows his introduction to Oda Nobunaga; then time skips to an action-packed tutorial that showcases Yasuke’s basic controls. Afterwards, the game shifts to deuteragonist Naoe, and somewhat unexpectedly stays with her. What happened to Yasuke? Is there some method to change characters that you never learned about? - Timothy Monbleau Read More

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, out now, is a very good entry in Ubisoft’s long-running franchise. But it’s also a big, complicated game with a lot of different mechanics, systems, features, and options. And Shadows doesn’t always do a great job of explaining how all of this stuff works. - Zack Zwiezen Read More

Like its predecessors, Civilization VII features numerous win conditions ranging from a cultural victory to a military victory. You could play nice with the other leaders, build alliances, share technology, and aim for the stars, as it were. Or, you could annihilate your neighbors with tanks, missiles, and bomber squadrons. The latter might be preferable for most, but it requires strategic planning and skill. Thankfully, after losing countless games against players far better than us, we have many lessons to share. We know firsthand the militaristic strategies at play. Here’s how to improve at ground combat in Civilization VII! - Brandon Morgan Read More

Multiplayer is one of the staples of Monster Hunter. It’s a far different game when playing alone, and the game doesn’t make it terribly easy to understand the nuances of its co-op system. So let’s go through the (unfortunately) convoluted “friend” system in Wilds so you don’t have to suffer wandering alone. - Brian Barnett Read More

As we are all aware, the purpose of a ninja is to flip out and kill people. Nobody does this better than Ryu Hayabusa, which is why when demons want to take over the planet, they have to send, conservatively, 780,000 of them to try and stop him. Now, nobody’s saying Ryu isn’t capable–he is a ninja after all–but that doesn’t mean he’s not man enough to ask for help. Or cry. But that’s none of our business. - Justin Clark Read More

Specializing in supporting his team from a distance, Rocket Raccoon is a Strategist with a solid suite of abilities. He can deploy a mobile respawn center for defeated allies, fill the area with healing orbs, boost enemy damage with his ultimate, and even supply infinite ammo for specific teammates. Did I mention he’s also toting a gatling gun to defend himself? And his rocket pack and wall-scurrying ability make him incredibly difficult to kill? - Brian Barnett Read More

Just like her fellow SNK fighter Terry Bogard, Mai Shiranui has integrated well as a Street Fighter 6 DLC character with many of her fan-favorite techniques present. However, the standout aspect of her kit is one that’s completely new and exclusive to this game: Flame Stocks. This mechanic provides powerful buffs to many of her moves and represents the cornerstone of her gameplay. You’re meant to figure it out on your own, but we’ve got you covered with how to use Mai’s Flame Stocks and what their enhancements are. - Samuel Moreno Read More

Like any open-world game, it can take a second to get your bearings in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. After the game’s opening act, your first line of business is to find Tomiko and establish your hideout. This is your base of operations where you’ll accrue allies and build facilities, though you’ll quickly find one of the most valuable ones is locked off: the Forge. You’ll see that this building has the prerequisite “Recruit a Blacksmith,” so naturally, you’ll want to knock that off your to-do list. - Timothy Monbleau Read More

After spending so much time drifting between minor islands, stumbling upon a massive city like Honolulu, in a pirate ship of all things, is quite the spectacle. Of course, despite your arrival being positively dramatic, the locals still want to fight you! But worry not: The city contains much to see and do besides fighting, like mini-games galore, ship customization, and story beats! Here’s what to do first upon reaching Honolulu in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii! - Brandon Morgan Read More

Monster Hunter Wilds changes up some of the series’ regular mechanics, but perhaps the most important is the introduction of the new Wounds system. - Brian Barnett Read More