Video Games

Mario Party Superstars is an excellent and welcomed addition to the Nintendo Switch library. 

It's been three years since Super Mario Party released, which truly puts today's gaming landscape into perspective since the first three Mario Party games released in three consecutive years from 1998-2000 on Nintendo 64. It's always great to see Nintendo continue to feature some of its most popular multiplayer games, especially as fans continue to hold out hope for games like Mario Kart 9.

It's exciting to have another installment of Mario Party on Switch, especially because Mario Party Superstars is a compilation of boards from Mario Party 1-3, including an extraordinary 100 minigames from throughout the Mario Party series. This is an amazing nostalgic trip for gamers who grew up playing Mario Party 1, 2 or 3 on Nintendo 64. However, the selection of boards and minigames are smart and so much fun that this is of course a great package for gamers who didn't grow up with them and want to experience the origins of what made Mario Party so entertaining from its inception.

Even for gamers who choose to view Mario Party Superstars as an expansion of sorts to Super Mario Party, the endless, intense and chaotic fun to be had in this package during offline solo, local play or online play makes it a must-have for fans of Mario Party or gamers looking to have another multiplayer option heading into the holidays.

The graphics are stunning, as expected. Nintendo's art style, polish and adorable charm continue to stand out and impress in the Switch era. Seeing these N64 boards remade more than 20 years later and playable on a modern television or the vibrant Switch OLED screen is a pure joy. There's never any glitching as things run smoothly as expected given Nintendo's brand.

Important aspects of the package are some of the customizable features, controller support and sheer number of minigames. Players can select a "pack" from the 100 minigames available for each board game, such as only having original N64 minigames, GameCube minigames or even separating by different types such as "Family," "Action" or "Skill." Of course, the options for random minigames to be chosen from all packs is available, but it's great for players who are nostalgic for certain minigames, especially the N64 minigames since that's where the boards are from.

Customizable options are available before starting a game, including the option to use classic "Bonus Stars," turn on/off "Bonus Stars" and even giving a player Stars at the start of the game.

The "Bonus Stars" are always an interesting option. Even just one Bonus Star can be either a final saving grace for a player or the unfortunate downturn of somebody's hopes of winning, both of which happened in two of my games. I lost because Bonus Stars were awarded to the CPU in one game and then won another game because I received multiple Bonus Stars. Such is the life in a Mario Party game!

One of the biggest and most important improvements from Super Mario Party is the ability to play handheld with the Joy-Cons attached to the Switch, plus being able to play in tabletop mode or on the TV using regular Joy-Cons or the Pro Controller.

With Super Mario Party, using a singular Joy-Con turned sideways can be uncomfortable for some people, so having the option to use more "standard" controller support and this being a more "traditional" Mario Party game are major pluses for Mario Party Superstars. It made sense at the time of Super Mario Party's release to experiment with a single-Joy-Con game since the Switch was still such a new console and that was an important feature to highlight, but having a Mario Party with more traditional controller support is certainly welcomed at this point in the Switch's lifecycle, especially after the introduction of the Switch Lite in 2019.

Mario Party in general isn't the most accessible of Nintendo games because of the variation of button commands, such as mashing a button to be quicker than opponents, but at least there's more controller support available this time. Minigames featured from the N64 games also translate well to a modern control scheme, so no need to be concerned about going from the ergonomically abnormal N64 controller to the Joy-Cons or Pro Controller. The minigames especially feel great using a Pro Controller because the buttons are bigger. 

Another cool option is the ability to add turns to the board game if people want to keep playing, although that must be decided before the final round. For example, if players select the minimum 10 turns at the start of the game, they can decide to add to a total of 15, 20, 25 or 30 turns. That's definitely a good option for local couch co-op play when things are heated among friends or family and everybody wants to keep that game going instead of starting fresh.

Of course, a vital option in today's gaming landscape is the ability to play online with friends or others. This is especially important for solo players who still want the thrill of playing against real people instead of the CPU, although local play is always the most fun for Mario Party games because sessions can get so heated between friends, which makes for some hilarious moments to see where allegiances lay.

Thankfully, the new dock that comes with the Nintendo Switch OLED edition has a wired LAN port for more stable online gaming since every inch or second counts in Mario Party, as lag would definitely be an issue for a minigame like Shy Guy Says.

It's nice to have characters like Rosalina and Birdo added to the mix since the original Mario Party 1-3 games either had only six or eight total characters. It's fun to see them on these classic boards. However, it's disappointing not to see more characters available given Nintendo's vast list of characters in the Mario universe as seen in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or even just Super Mario Party, which featured Bowser, Goomba, Monty Mole and Bowser Jr., among several others.

While there will always be a desire for more characters and boards to be included in the package, there's still some quality-of-life options that would have made for ideal additions. Perhaps the biggest would be the ability to fast forward (or even skip) the CPU players' turns while in a board game. Thankfully, there's the option in the settings menu from the main home screen to toggle on speeding up the CPUs turn. However, once that option is turned on (or off), there's no way to adjust once the game has begun.

Another element lacking is that there's no costumes for Mario and the other players to wear during certain boards.

For example, in the original Mario Party 2, Mario and Co. would dress up in Halloween costumes on the Horror Land board. In Mario Party Superstars, Mario and Co. just look like their regular selves. It would've been a great addition to the game not only to be able to dress the characters in costumes, but even to have unlockable outfits to purchase with coins attained through gameplay or other achievements. Currently in Toad's Shop, gamers can purchase Stickers, Card Designs, Encyclopedia pages and Music tracks with coins. They're fine unlockables, but some gamers may ultimately feel these are superfluous for the overall package.

Overall, Mario Party Superstars will offer countless hours of fun for gamers looking to relive classic boards and minigames, plus create new memories that will test friendships. Although it would be nice to have post-launch DLC, such as more characters and boards, the base package of Mario Party continues to offer gamers something new because each session is always going to be different.

Even gamers who aren't nostalgic for these boards will still receive an extremely well-polished game featuring some of the best minigames ever from the Mario Party series, which is great for both multiplayer and solo-play sessions.

The additional controller support separates Mario Party Superstars from Super Mario Party in a major way to truly makes these packages feel like different experiences, so gamers who may have passed on Super Mario Party, or gamers looking to expand their Mario Party options on Switch, can consider Mario Party Superstars a must-have game. 

The Guardians of the Galaxy team from Marvel Comics and the Hollywood blockbusters feels like perfect video game material.  

That's something Eidos-Montreal sets out to make good on with the aptly-named Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy release that pits Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon and Groot in an action-adventure taking them all over the cosmic side of the Marvel universe. 

Given the names and inevitable expectations, this release always had a massive hill to climb. The Spider-Man series from Insomniac Games represents the high bar for superhero games now and what players have come to expect. There's also pressure to avoid a flop with beloved characters like 2020's Avengers from Crystal Dynamics. 

Whether Guardians can reach for the bar or land somewhere in the middle predictably hinges on depth of gameplay and that critical team dynamic that made the movie franchise such a sensation. 

        

Graphics and Gameplay

The first thing players will notice is that the characters don't match the movie designs. For the most part, they aren't clean-cut copies of actual comic iterations of the characters either, but it doesn't take away from their design. 

Star-Lord's crew is instantly recognizable regardless and looks great. The leader has his jacket and swagger, Drax has the body paint, Groot is Groot. They all look and feel like fans should expect. 

The next big thing players will notice is these aren't the big movie-star voices behind the characters either. But this doesn't have a big negative impact, partly because the voice acting and writing is so strong. The banter matches what players/viewers would see right on the Hollywood big screen and is often hilarious.

And while the voices are different, the inflections and speech patterns to each character are almost creepily perfect in their match to big-screen counterparts. Drax is measured, Rocket fires off his paced quips in the same way the movie stars handle the characters. 

Sure, there are times when the banter is a little forced, but there were hiccups in the group's big films in the MCU too. 

Seasoned comic book readers know all too well how different iterations of beloved characters pop up all the time. A new author takes over a book and puts his or her spin on it. It's no different here—some players will love the iterations and others will be lukewarm about it, but strong voice-acting performances and writing make it hard to believe anyone will hate it. 

As a Guardians property demands, the game has a long list of classic licensed hits that blare from Star Lord's playlist, which adds a layer of authenticity. Overall sound design is fun and the game looks great as a whole. The locales are as varied and colorful as one would expect from a Marvel title that visits the cosmic side. 

Smooth transitions between gameplay and cinematics and then back again make for some wow-worthy moments in a brilliant presentation. 

Plus, funny gameplay moments amplify the characterization of these beloved characters. Within the game's first 20 minutes, Rocket tells Star-Lord that going down a path is a dead end. It's the perfect use of Gamer Psychology 101 as players will of course go down that path to look for goodies, if nothing else—and Rocket lets Star-Lord (and the player) hilariously hear about it for a while. 

Tasks blocking progression or exploration out in the world won't blow away players from an innovation standpoint. Objectives while exploring include finding items, defending a character for a certain amount of time, hitting the right character input for a certain task and much more. 

Ditto for combat, which travels some well-trodden ground. But in this case, it's not a bad thing—directing the entire team on the fly and leaning into fun combos is the only way to succeed in a game that has some pretty surprising difficulty uptick. 

Players might not be too thrilled about the idea of only controlling Star-Lord given the colorful cast of characters here. But it works because restricting playable characters means better control of the team, more variety to the challenges they face and less chaos. Jumping between each member of the team would fundamentally change the gameplay and potentially the experience. 

It helps that Star-Lord is so much fun to control in combat. He's a double-blaster, jet-boot wearing assassin who moves fluidly through fights, over terrain and can blast from a distance or throw down some big melee attacks up close, all while dishing orders to teammates. 

Unsurprisingly given the characters and universe, combat has some pretty intense depth to it. Star-Lord has unlimited ammo to his guns, but the classic Gears of War reload mechanic is here. Mis-time the reload and the bad boys jam, which adds another detail to monitor during hectic combat sequences. 

Star-Lord also has four different elemental alt-fires to his guns that offer various bonuses, and the game throws different enemies at the group vulnerable to each type. Juggling guns, elements and tasking teammates with environmental interactions or tag-team moves that create rewarding sequences is a challenging but rewarding affair. 

One of the more controversial decisions comes in the form of the game's huddle-up during combat. It's exactly what it sounds like, as the team will take a break mid-fight and huddle up like a football team. Players will have to listen to the team's chatter, then make the right dialogue choice for the occasion. Do that, and the team comes blitzing out of the huddle with a boost while a licensed song starts blaring. 

It's fun the first few times and something the team from the movies would do. But it does start to lose its charm over the full course of the game. 

As a whole, it's a fun romp, with exploration a plus thanks to the different environments and team banter, while combat is more challenging than one might expect and hectic in a good way. 

    

Story and More

Those familiar with the Guardians aren't going to be caught off guard by the narrative. 

It provides a great intro to the Star-Lord character and rolls through a major journey from there. The Guardians are a scheming team looking for scores, but they of course run into the 'superhero' side of things in predictable (and fun) ways. 

Early on, players get dropped on Milano, the team's ship. By exploring the ship and engaging in banter with teammates there's a little Mass Effect feel to the whole thing, with a Guardians flair, especially when Star-Lord hooks his music up to the ship's sound systems. 

The game sprinkles hints at the much bigger picture throughout, which comic book fans will be able to keep up with. The game doesn't even highlight these things, which makes exploring or carefully observing environments all the more rewarding. 

On the Milano or out in the wild, dialogue options aren't window-dressing either. They impact Star-Lord's relationship with each team member, which in turn ends up having an impact on unlockables and developments beyond just better understanding each character.

As for progression, experience earned is something players must dole out to the entire team. While Star-Lord is the only playable character, it might make sense to load him up with abilities first, but players will discover that there has been a superb balancing job done here because his teammates have some amazing abilities worth investing in too. 

There are a ton of different unlockable outfits, including some from the movies that will assuage some complaints. Uncovering or earning these is just as rewarding as any suit unlocked in the Spider-Man games, which is a welcome feature that would have been a glaring omission. 

The sense of progression and rewards is a necessary element to a game like this, especially when dealing with this source material. And Guardians nails it, which means players aren't stuck with only the narrative, gameplay and characters themselves as the lone justification to keep playing. 

Of note, players might decry the lack of multiplayer. But that's just not the experience the developers were going for here, and while blasting through the story, it's not a thought that comes up all too often. And based on the state of the Avengers, this is probably a smart move. 

   

Speedrunning Tips

There's an outside chance Guardians could develop a pretty interesting speedrunning community because of the skill required to manage a full team on the fly in hectic combat scenarios. 

Early out of the gates, some of the most basic tips and necessary combos apply. 

There's the usual skip conversations and cinematics advice of course. This also largely applies to the wealth of in-ship interactions players could get sidetracked with often. 

But early-game combat combos to lean hard into involve asking Groot to wrap up tougher enemies so Star-Lord can unload with the proper element. That, or Drax can pick up something heavy and slam it down on them. 

Overall, there doesn't seem to be a ton of open-ended ways to break the progression through each level as things are pretty linear. But memorizing the route remains a must. And while this might sound like a negative for a runner or onlooker, the reality is it keeps the emphasis where it should be—on the skilful combat that will ultimately decide top times. 

   

Conclusion

Almost any angle it's analyzed from, Guardians is a resounding success. 

On a sliding Marvel and/or superhero game scale, Guardians doesn't hit the Spider-Man heights (but what in the genre does?), but it also doesn't come close to residing in Avengers territory. 

While the actual innovation behind exploration and puzzles is a little underwhelming at times, Guardians is how a Guardians game should be—a hard-rocking, chaotic combat romp with some really interesting and funny character work. 

While Spider-Man games and the Wolverine game in development will command attention, Guardians shouldn't go overlooked as a superb entry in a superhero genre that needs more standouts. 

The Cincinnati Bengals are trending in the right direction.

Not only is the team a playoff contender at 3-2 overall and 2-0 in AFC play, quarterback Joe Burrow is a better player than he was at the start of the season. At least in the virtual world.

EA Sports announced its latest batch of player ratings updates for Madden 22, and the Bengals signal-caller headlines the list of those who saw their totals improve after Week 5 of the NFL season. Burrow was boosted from a 78 overall to an 80 after throwing for 281 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions during an overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers.

He also played through a throat contusion that landed him in the hospital.

Burrow wasn't the only offensive playmaker to see his overall scores improve. Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox saw a massive jump of four points to go from 77 to 81 overall, and Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams saw his total go up two points to an 85 overall.

Knox outshone counterpart Travis Kelce with 117 receiving yards and a touchdown in Buffalo's win over the Kansas City Chiefs, while Williams continued his overall dominance as a fantasy football darling this year with eight catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns in the Chargers' thrilling 47-42 win over the Cleveland Browns.

Williams is now fifth in the league with 471 receiving yards and leads the entire NFL with six touchdown catches.

It wasn't all good news in the Madden world, as Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz dropped two points to 79 overall. Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson fell from 89 overall to 87 as Darnell Mooney has emerged as more of a go-to pass-catcher for rookie quarterback Justin Fields.

Robinson will have an opportunity to improve his totals on a big stage when the Bears take on the rival Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

It's 2021 and Nintendo, plus developer MercurySteam, has dropped a Game of the Year contender with a 2D, side-scrolling offering from the legendary Metroid series.  

That's stunning for a number of reasons. Most prominently, this is Samus Aran's first brand-new entry in the side-scrolling scene since Metroid Fusion in 2002. It's also the narrative sequel to that classic. Metroid as a series has offered up spinoffs, remakes and even the beloved, first-person Metroid Prime series since, but never a unique release in a genre it helped pioneer. 

Until now. Dread doesn't pull any punches in this long-awaited return, leaning heavily into its classical roots—both in gameplay and immersion categories—and offers some bold, modernized twists to keep things engaging. 

The result is a must-play experience that stands tall not only among the best the Nintendo Switch library has to offer, but near the top of one of gaming's most iconic properties. 

    

Graphics and Gameplay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7a3Q_bp-kY

It has been a long, long time since players have been able to get lost in a brand-new Metroid experience. 

Series veterans know what to expect. Arguably no game franchise has ever done a better job of setting a mood. The soundtrack, ambient noise and sheer loneliness Samus confronts on alien worlds has always been downright stunning, whether it was in a 2D classic on older consoles or handhelds, or even from the first-person perspective of the Prime trilogy on GameCube. 

So here? It's a blessing, in many ways, that Dread got stuck in developmental purgatory for so long. The primary one is the sense of immersion players get from a Metroid game that leans fully into the sheer horsepower the Switch provides while the game gets ballooned up onto a big-screen television. 

This is indeed a lonely, vulnerable jaunt for Samus. She and players travel across varied, gorgeous locales while fully rendered backgrounds provide a sense of stunning scope. Wildlife will dart around Samus and the background in some nature-esque areas, while even the more boring industrial side of the story features stunning-looking elements, such as an industrial fan slowly spinning, casting repeated shadows. 

That lighting and shadow work atop all of the major attention to detail makes for a stunning feast for the eyes. Metroid has always asked the player to pay close attention to get the full story, and each setting tells more than any pickup-and-react collectibles could. 

As always, one of the crowning features of an immersive Metroid experience is the world-class sound design. The music is as engrossing as it gets to match the theme of each area, and each of Samus' moves and that of her enemies is distinct, which both just sounds good and also helps players pull off important timing. Sound cues let players know when it's time to duke it out with a boss, or even when it's time to tuck tail and run or hide. 

The blend of cutscenes into the experience is a feat too. Samus will literally slide below a barrier and right into a cutscene, and in the process of most scenes, players will even get a look through her eyes and helmet from the first-person perspective. These scenes that illustrate the threats so well, plus the overarching scope of the world she's stuck on, indeed make both her and the player feel very small. 

Not that Samus is without ways to fight back. 

When it comes to controls, in a way, the king is back. Ori and the Blind Forest, Hollow Knight, all of those modern classics feel great. But Dread is on an entirely different level when it comes to controls. The fluidity, responsiveness and sheer smoothness of every little input is truly something to behold. 

Samus is once again at her most agile and lethal even without many power-ups to her suits. Players can employ dodges, counters, charge attacks, feints and jumps to great effect while reading and reacting—or getting proactive—against the variety of enemies she confronts. 

Exploration is once again the key element to it all thanks to some of the best level design players will see in gaming. Dread, like any Metroid game, doesn't hold the player's hand. It's pretty clear where Samus is capable of going based on level layout and the running list of upgrades to her suit. But this is a hard game in this sense too—there aren't clues, tips or flashing icons to show players where to go. 

This might turn some players off. But studying a superbly done map, thinking of what upgrades Samus has and eventually figuring out what to do (or stumbling into one of the many hidden upgrades through the game) is extremely rewarding. 

Before long, players won't just be sliding, grabbing onto ledges and wall-jumping—they'll be sticking to walls, reaching movable platforms, utilizing stealth mechanics, charging weapons while spinning, jumping more than once and braving rough environments that harm her base suit, to name a few of the evolving gameplay mechanics. 

This being a modern Metroid, Samus doles out punishment with her base weapon and missiles, plus a counterattack and a few other goodies to a variety of enemies that all require learning first, then precision of execution second. Free-aiming anywhere in a room and utilizing all of these abilities can be tough from a controls standpoint at first, but it becomes second nature before what feels like a tutorial ends.

Combat does go an interesting direction this time out in that properly countering an enemy's attack actually rewards more health than traditionally defeating it would. That's a big, fun incentive to stay locked in at all times instead of treating every enemy like it's a trash mob.

Players who were lucky enough to experience classics like Metroid Fusion back in the day will be thrilled (or maybe not) with the EMMI robots gameplay mechanic. It's somewhat stealth, just like running or outright hiding from enemies like a clone of Samus in past games that creates a sweaty-palmed tension immediately.

This is, though, where the game's primary frustration surfaces. If Samus gets detected and caught by one of these EMMI robots, she has one, maybe two chances to properly counter the attack before it's an instant game over, no questions or protests possible. 

On one hand, that provides some serious tensions (alongside the amazing presentation) to these "EMMI zones" found throughout the world. The actual timing of the counter is nearly impossible to get right. After the first one, the game asks more and more of the player to actually kill one of these things too, making for a miniboss of sorts. 

If there's a silver lining, it's that the game is pretty fair with its behind-the-scenes checkpoint system. And once Samus overcomes the EMMI bot in a given zone, that's it and players are free to explore the area. 

And it wouldn't be Metroid without big bosses, too. These are multistage fights that ask the player to learn each step, and indeed, it can be frustrating to start back over at the beginning of a fight upon death. But they're otherwise fun, memorable and oh-so-Metroid. 

In that sense, Metroid is probably one of the most difficult games on the Switch from Nintendo's heavy hitters. But the immersion, precision and sense of actual achievement when advancing further is nearly unparalleled.

    

Story and More

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCG6nxttRp0

Narratively speaking, Dread is a direct sequel to Fusion. Samus discovers an uncharted planet dubbed ZDR has some remnants of X Parasite that she needs to wipe out and—bad news—the androids that went there first are nonresponsive. 

Immediately, Dread dips right back into the tried-and-true well—Samus isn't a badass anymore from the minute her boots hit the ground. Instead, her mission is to simply survive and escape while being terribly overmatched. In a flip on the usual, though, she's deep down in the muck and trying desperately to dig her way back out to topside to reach her ship, not the other way around like in past games. 

No spoilers, but this is a very rare Metroid mainline entry game (the Prime trilogy was even a spinoff, for example). And let's just say there's one moment in here that will go down as iconic for the series and, more importantly, Samus. 

If there's a complaint about the narrative, it's that it comes from all over the place. Metroid has been around since the mid-'80s, and over that span, manga, games and tons of spinoffs have muddied things. It's almost a little disappointing robots feature so prominently as an enemy, and the big bad will feel random if players haven't kept up with (or deeply refreshed on) every little piece of lore. 

Still, the narrative meshes with the game pacing incredibly well, as usual for the series. There's actually an escalation of both the plot and number of unlocks in the game's second half that will take even series veterans by surprise—in a good way. 

Actual exploration and trying to 100 percent this game is going to be as challenging and rewarding as any Metroid in the past. The secrets tucked into each level and the stunning unfurling of hiding things behind backtracking once Samus has unlocked a new ability is exquisite. 

In a testament to just how good the level design and hidden collectives are, veteran players can even use some techs like bomb jumping to reach collectibles they wouldn't normally be able to reach given the game's intended progression path—and it's nothing if not incredibly rewarding for fans of the series. 

This sort of exploration and combing over everything closely to 100 percent the game (or just get that one missile pack that will give Samus enough firepower to overcome a boss) harkens back to the glory days of plopping down with a physical strategy guide and trying to do the same, whether it was on the NES or all the way up to the GameCube days. 

Assisting the immersion and rewarding feeling of exploration and secrets is a very well-done map in the pause menu. It's highly informative, everything has a distinct label, the legend is a breeze to use and zooming close enough might just help players really figure out where to go next. 

From a technical standpoint, Dread's getting delayed until the Switch existed is just another positive. The action here is lightning-fast and requires precision, yet the game appears to hardly ever drop any frames in docked or handheld mode. The game runs at 60 frames per second, which is what manages to help this entry feel so much better than any before it. 

    

Speedrunning Tips

Metroid has enjoyed a robust speedrunning scene since the mid-'80s for good reason. 

The games aren't built strictly for speedrunning, but they bring out the best that hobby has to offer. It's a sheer showcase of skill to memorize even 2D layouts like this before blitzing through it skillfully while collecting minimal missile and health expansions. 

To this day, the original Metroid Prime (2002) has world-record runs posted one month ago as of this writing. Fusion isn't that far behind either. It speaks to just how wild these runs can get that both world records stunningly hover around the one-hour mark. 

Granted, some of that comes from big skips, glitches and the like. There are already some of those floating around for Dread. But many of the usual speedrunning staples persist, too. Things like skipping dialogue and cutscenes, memorizing the necessary path of progression and boss fights and even understanding what enemies to actually engage play a big role in good final times. 

With Dread, even early on, skipping as many fights as possible is the easiest way to get through quickly. Sounds simple and is—no resource expenditure in the first place means no additional fights in an effort to pick up extra health missiles. Future runs will probably get fast enough that runners will skip things like health and save stations. 

In many ways, the skills and approach necessary to speedrun Dread doesn't change compared to prior releases. The fact it's even here, though, will revive and/or prolong one of the healthiest, most enjoyable speedrunning scenes out there.  

    

Conclusion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mepkyJau6hU

Metroid Dread is a feat not often seen in gaming. It takes a beloved franchise, deeply understands what makes it tick and resonate so deeply with players, replicates and improves on it in numerous ways on hardware the series has yet to grace—while matching the hype of a narrative thread not tugged for nearly two decades. 

It speaks to the legendary Metroid formula that new players experiencing the series for the first time will likely get engrossed with what Dread presents and have a blast. Likely, they'll turn around and look for other similar 2D entries from the past that still hold up incredibly well. That formula, plus a brilliant job by MercurySteam, assures Dread undoubtedly has the same legs to it that Fusion still does.

Dread won't stop players dying to get their hands on a modern Prime first-person entry (or even remakes of the original three) from yearning so. But it's one hell of a way to hold them over and a guaranteed major sigh of relief that the Metroid series has finally received the love and care it deserves. 

It sure doesn't hurt that the Switch hardware, as any Metroid fan could have predicted, is the perfect home for such a title. Whether on the go or blown up on a big screen, Dread is a modern classic of an experience and deserves every shred of praise it will undoubtedly earn in the months and years to come. 

EA Sports is removing Jon Gruden's likeness from Madden NFL 22 following his resignation as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

The company announced Wednesday a generic likeness will take Gruden's place.

pic.twitter.com/KSKsJ1iVXU

— Madden NFL 25 (@EAMaddenNFL) October 13, 2021

Gruden's resignation followed multiple reports that he used racist, anti-gay and misogynistic language in email correspondence.

Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the 58-year-old said NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith had "lips the size of michellin tires" in an email to former Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen. He also referred to Smith as "Dumboriss."

While the comment about Smith's facial features echoed a racist trope about Black people, Gruden told Beaton that "I don't have a racial bone in my body" and that he used the phrase "rubber lips" to describe people he thinks are lying.

Smith spoke out about the situation Monday:

The email has also revealed why the comments by some with powerful platforms to explain this away are insidious and hypocritical. It is as if there is a need to protect football above the values of equality, inclusion and respect.

— DeMaurice Smith (@demauricesmith) October 11, 2021

I appreciate that he reached out to me & I told him that we will connect soon, but make no mistake, the news is not about what is said in our private conversation, but what else is said by people who never thought they would be exposed and how they are going to be held to account

— DeMaurice Smith (@demauricesmith) October 11, 2021

Gruden continued to serve in his capacity as the Raiders' coach following the revelation, with Las Vegas losing 20-9 to the Chicago Bears in Week 5.

On Monday, however, the New York Times' Ken Belson and Katherine Rosman published more details from Gruden emails, which were part of an unrelated investigation into the Washington Football Team's workplace culture.

Gruden called NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a "f----t" and a "clueless anti football p---y." He also asserted that Goodell put pressure on former St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher to draft "queers" after the Rams selected Michael Sam, making him the first out gay player to be drafted into the NFL.

Gruden subsequently announced he was stepping down and apologized, saying he "never meant to hurt anyone."

Talks between FIFA and EA Sports have reportedly "hit the wall" as soccer's governing body seeks to significantly increase its revenue from the sides' licensing agreement for the popular video game.

Tariq Panja of the New York Times reported Wednesday that FIFA is seeking to "more than double" what it currently receives from EA Sports, which would push the total over $1 billion for each four-year World Cup cycle.

The first signs of discontent between the sides came last week when Cam Weber, EA Sports' general manager, released a statement saying the company was "exploring the idea of renaming our global EA Sports football games."

Weber noted the partnership with FIFA was separate from its agreements with domestic leagues, continental tournaments and player groups, which ensured the depth of the video game wouldn't be at risk if a name change was made.

It would nevertheless lead to some alterations, most notably having to rebrand FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), which has become a major driver in the title's financial success thanks to microtransactions.

Matt Slater of The Athletic reported FIFA is worth $2 billion annually to EA, which reported $5.6 billion in total revenue during the last fiscal year.

The governing body took note of that success in a recent accounts statement, per Slater.

"In contrast to the many economic sectors that were drastically affected by COVID-19, the video game industry proved far more resilient to the pandemic," FIFA stated.

While how the revenue from the game should be split is the main sticking point, there are other key factors involved in negotiations with the current contract set to expire after the 2022 World Cup.

FIFA is seeking to "narrow" the exclusivity its previously handed to EA Sports in order to seek out new avenues for revenue, while the gaming company wants to expand rights related to "highlights of actual games, arena video game tournaments and digital products like NFTs," according to Panja.

Discussions are expected to continue at least through year's end, but EA is "already planning for a post-FIFA future" and registered trademarks for EA Sports F.C. in the European Union and Great Britain, per Panja.

The FIFA video game franchise started in 1993 with the release of FIFA International Soccer and has included spin-off games, such as FIFA Street and several World Cup-centric titles.

FIFA 22, the most recent edition, was released Oct. 1.

Back 4 Blood is quietly one of the biggest releases of 2021.  

It's not just because it's a four-player co-op zombie shooter or an eight-player competitive multiplayer title, either. Back 4 Blood is the spiritual successor to the beloved Left 4 Dead from 2008, which still boasts around 25,000 players per day on Steam.

So yes, there's a lot riding on this release from developer Turtle Rock Studios, the team behind that classic. After a brief blip with 2015's Evolve, the team has returned to its roots, though it isn't just content with bringing a graphically updated version of Left 4 Dead to modern audiences.

With some interesting gameplay additions to a beloved formula, Back 4 Blood has an outside chance of obtaining the same longevity as its source inspiration.

               

Graphics and Gameplay

The first thing onlookers will notice about B4B is that it looks spectacular on any console. There's a limited number of player characters in the game, but they look great, whether it's on the character select screen or out in the wild.

In that wild, those characters confront a zombie apocalypse and navigate a variety of great-looking settings. Everything from dingy warehouses and city streets to more overgrown parts of the country get immersive representation. It's all assisted by some gorgeous lighting and shading work, plus some smooth effects like fog and realistic swaying of materials.

Keep in mind this all unfolds from a first-person perspective. Little things like the details of each gun and a character's arm attire stick out in a positive way. So too does the grisly nature of this world, including just how nasty it can get—parting a zombie's head from its shoulders too close to the player's character, for example, will coat blood over the player's hands, weapon and body realistically.

The setting is immersive in the sense of dread—this is very much a dystopia wherein the worst-case scenario unfolded. It's dark, dangerous and aided by some superb sound design, both in the weapons feedback and the terrors around every corner and ducking in every shadow.

Characters all sound unique with solid voice acting too. When players aren't screaming into mics while staring down a zombie horde, the characters themselves offer dialogue that fits the scene, such as apologizing for scaring a noisy flock of birds that alerts the horde.

The broad range of personalities from the characters and the solid presentation of it all plays into the gameplay side of things too. This best shines through via the fact that they all have certain team buffs and starter weapons that come with special perks.

Enemy design, not counting the general horde but the special classes of zombies, is really well done too. One of the early special enemies charges right at the player and is something of tank. The catch is, it hides its weak point while charging at the player—that means it's exploitable to a player's teammates, which encourages and rewards communication.

It's all topped off by the fact that gunplay is incredibly solid. That's not the easiest thing to nail in a game these days because there are so many good shooters out there, so this point shouldn't go overlooked—this might just be a zombie shooter, but it feels fantastic from the first-person perspective.

And that's just the stuff that mirrors Left 4 Dead.

B4B goes in an innovative, modern-feeling direction with the implementation of cards. Think, a touch of Hearthstone to the zombie formula. Corruption cards, for example, are RNG-based cards the game draws before a round that can dramatically change how it plays.

Some corruption cards alter the stage's weather. Some mean more of a certain armored enemy. One can even cause every single zombie to combust, which means players have to watch out for their flaming bodies after disposing of them. These are debuffs, short and sweet, and they provide a nice mixup to each round that helps replayability.

Rest assured, players get cards too—a lot of cards. They get to choose from a random selection drawn from their starter deck. For example, during the tutorial, one of these morphed the character's melee into a knife attack. Over time, players will unlock more and more cards and be able to customize the deck they take into rounds for both co-op and competitive multiplayer.

The effort to keep the formula fresh and promote replayability extends to the levels themselves. While some might ding B4B for only having so many maps, the randomization factor is a big deal. Items and weapons, among other aspects, are never in the same place on each playthrough. That not only feels great to keep things fresh, but it also encourages exploration.

For the most part, B4B is an absolute blast. Levels are always interesting, especially thanks to alarms, animals and other things they have to avoid that can attract the horde by making noise. There's plenty of loot, including weapon attachments, to discover that will aid players when the game throws out a do-or-die situation.

If there's a big frustration with gameplay, it might just be how difficult things get when nearing an end goal. It might sound silly or obvious to say the game just throws an increasing number of enemies at the player, but that's what it does, and it can be too much for even coordinated crews at times. Throwing multiples of each type of special Ridden at a player's squad is a big ask.

That said, that's the point. Looting on the fly in a zombie apocalypse should be a blast, especially when it properly rewards good communication and strategy. B4B nails that, though it's important to point out the game is not nearly as fun as a solo player because teammate A.I. is spotty, to be generous. Players should experience this one with other humans, and they might not be able to put it down once they do.

                     

Story and More

Believe it or not, B4B does have something resembling a brief story.

That tale unfolds over three chapters, and no, it's not anything groundbreaking for this genre. To keep it brief, the limited number of colorful characters just so happen to be immune to what befell the rest of the globe. Those people go around the country performing tasks, such as attempting to rescue survivors.

It's a little silly that this group of characters is the highly skilled last line of defense given their silly outfits and personalities. But hey, it's a zombie apocalypse, and the game has to keep customization of characters interesting, right?

Customization is a so-so part of B4B upon launch. Characters can get a ton of different outfits and such, as expected.

On a more micro level, per-game weapon customization is in, as players can find attachments to slap on guns throughout the game world. But it's a clunky feature that will take players some time to get used to, especially while trying to make on-the-fly swaps and adjustments in the middle of a fight.

Those characters do come with specific team buffs and such, but it's not overly important to prioritize one over the other because the effects just aren't that great. Keep in mind that players will have to listen to the given characters' voices and deal with their personalities for a long, long time if they want to main a character, so it might be best to not roll with the annoying character just because of a minor team buff. Pick responsibly but selfishly, players.

It does feel like the deck system has some serious potential. Building out decks with friends for certain levels or challenges should be a good time. Strategizing who builds their deck how and why before diving into a level is something that will define some of the top-tier play and will perhaps be required for some of the game's most significant challenges.

That said, a cliche like "two sides to every coin" exists for a reason. With any system like this in this video game landscape, there's a hesitation of what might come after launch via microtransactions and whether a card-based system will start offering up pay-to-win mechanics. At launch, everything feels fair and earnable with enough play time.

Also on the flip side of the cards conversation is the fact that players could just ignore the decks system and enjoy the zombie slaying. It's still fun without the presence of cards. That versatility is a big boost for the game's outlook.

Overall progression gets handled how players would expect via a points system. Spend points to unlock new cards and customization options for characters. A feature called supply lines adds meaningful strategy to how players can unlock items and cards. Players can choose to tackle a specific supply line after viewing what each one offers as rewards from start to finish, which is a nice way to mix up the stereotypical, almost battle-pass-feeling system.

Something else that smiles favorably on B4B is that the game runs excellently right out of the box, which isn't something most titles can say in a release-now-patch-later environment. There's also a boatload of options tucked into the menus, including a robust set of display and performance tweaks players can make on PC.

                

Multiplayer Impressions 

In Left 4 Dead and its sequel, the competitive multiplayer would unfold on the usual campaign maps. Not the case here.

These are smaller, independent maps that shrink over time via a ring. The idea is awesome—take the shrinking map feature of the uber-popular battle royales and apply it to a zombie apocalypse for some serious fun.

But the great idea throws out some mixed results. These are already pretty cramped maps to start with, so forcing everyone into even smaller situations creates a chaotic bit of gameplay.

At its most basic, eight players pop into a competitive game and will swap sides between human and zombie teams. The team that survives the longest after both sides have had a turn wins. The shrinking circle aims to provide tension, especially with the timer ticking, but it can be more a source of frustration than anything.

That said, it's a little jarring just how floaty and non-responsive the zombie side of things can feel. Some of that is simply because the human characters feel so great and precise to control from a first-person perspective. Popping out to third person and juggling abilities like a cross-map leap takes some serious getting used to—but it doesn't help that it simply doesn't feel as responsive by comparison.

Despite some of the floaty feelings and rough learning curve, the undead side of things is fun to explore, though at least at the game's launch, it does feel a little too easy to get the best of the survivors because the small maps just make it so hard for humans to hide.

Make no mistake: There is huge potential here. Quicker, bite-sized multiplayer sessions with a zombie horde thrown into the mix on shrinking maps is a blast of an idea. But this whole mode is also clearly going to have a hard time retaining players compared to the co-op side of things.

And that's not a bad thing, by the way. But the structure of things makes it feel like certain metas will develop and quickly become dominant, which could go unaddressed and become boring if the game doesn't get consistent updates like other online shooters. It just won't have that overarching randomization factor that keeps things fresh that will help the co-op side—like any shooter, competitive players will find the dominant guns and cards and lean into those in an effort to win.

Again, a lot of this comes down to post-launch support. There are some awesome ideas here, and the gunplay and teamwork required to succeed is top-notch. With some refinement, the competitive multiplayer side of this release could develop some serious legs too.

               

Conclusion

Most players who pick up B4B know what they are getting themselves into and will have a blast, especially if it's a quick gaming session and not all that often.

This is, after all, a highly polished, great-feeling zombie shooter with good co-op right out of the box that's built atop a rock-solid, if not legendary foundation.

While the competitive multiplayer itself is pretty disappointing at launch, the potential for tweaks and could squeak out a winner. But as a co-op game alone, this is a superb release made better by some savvy gameplay wrinkles like randomization and feature innovations like the cards system.

Maybe B4B doesn't have the Left 4 Dead nostalgia factor, but it's got enough in the way of modern systems and innovation to carve out its own legacy, especially with the proper support for its lifecycle.

When the first puck drops Tuesday night, the 2021-22 NHL season will be underway. Shortly after, gamers will have the opportunity to drop the virtual puck in NHL 22.

The newest edition of the annual EA Sports hockey title is released Friday. However, those who preordered the X-Factor Edition of NHL 22 can begin playing Tuesday.

This is a big year for the franchise, as NHL 22 marks the first edition of the game available to play on the new generation of consoles (PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X). So this has the potential to be the most realistic virtual hockey experience that's been created.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews is on the cover for the second time. He was also on the front of NHL 20.

Here's everything else you need to know before jumping in and playing NHL 22.

                  

Top Player Ratings

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid: 95

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon: 93

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby: 93

Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl: 93

Chicago Blackhawks right winger Patrick Kane: 92

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman: 92

Tampa Bay Lightning right winger Nikita Kucherov: 92

Washington Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin: 92

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews: 92

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy: 92

Boston Bruins right winger David Pastrnak: 91

Boston Bruins left winger Brad Marchand: 91

Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron: 91

New York Rangers left winger Artemi Panarin: 91

Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel: 91

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck: 91

Full player ratings available at EASports.com.

               

New Features

For those seeking new game modes in NHL 22, you are not going to find them. There haven't been any monumental changes made to the franchise from last year's game, so there's going to be a sense of familiarity when you load the latest edition on to your console.

However, EA Sports has announced improvements and upgrades made to the game's existing modes.

The biggest addition to NHL 22 is the introduction of X-Factors, which are now part of various modes, including Ultimate Team, World of Chel, Be a Pro and Franchise. In Ultimate Team, you can add these power-up items to player cards and move them up through upgrade tiers, while you will also get to add X-Factor abilities to your customizable player in World of Chel.

Play as your favorite players now with their Superstar ❌-Factor abilities in #NHL22 HUT! 🏒🎮

Learn more 👉 https://t.co/lKkeaoQ1qs

Stay tuned for more info coming in our HUT Deep Dive on October 6 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/SenB3JKHE3

— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) September 9, 2021

That will also be the case in Be a Pro, the career mode in which you will need to complete challenges to acquire new abilities, and Franchise, where X-Factor scouting reports will add even more to the mode.

World of Chel got an overhaul in its appearance, as the mode will have a redesigned hub, a new social widget and changing hub visuals. It's a fresh look for one of the game's most popular features.

In Franchise, it's worth noting that you can still begin with an expansion team, even though the Seattle Kraken have been added to this year's game. That means if you choose to jump in with an expansion draft, you'll be leading a 33rd NHL franchise.

While these are all welcomes additions and upgrades, the largest changes come with the gameplay.

NHL 22 will be the first game in the series to feature the Frostbite engine, which will take visuals and the playing experience to another level. The engine has been implemented in the Madden football series for numerous years, and now it will be utilized in this franchise as well.

There are also enhanced stick physics and augmented reality UI, so this virtual version of hockey is going to be the most realistic yet. It's another step toward an experience similar to the one that NHL fans enjoy while watching on TV.

So with EA Sports' NHL franchise heading into a new generation, this year's game should lay the groundwork for even more improvements and upgrades in the future. NHL 22 seems like it's going to be enjoyable to play, especially when you're on the ice.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl isn't shy about the inspiration it draws from Nintendo's Super Smash Bros.—the only juggernaut character fighting game on the block with a serious competitive scene and broad outreach.  

But developers Ludosity and Fair Play Labs have boldly stepped into this arena with an effort that has the potential to steal some of that mindshare. In part, grabbing an epic cast of characters spanning decades of Nickelodeon programming helps. 

But so too does some brilliant gameplay that will feel instantly familiar to Smash fans, plus some features that hint at big things for a healthy competitive scene. 

While bold claims like the above have been made about other pretenders in the past, some of the decisions that went into this Nickelodeon Brawl give it a serious shot to be a contender. 

    

Gameplay

Nickelodeon Brawl does a really good job with its cast that spans literal decades. Characters from The Ren & Stimpy Show to SpongeBob SquarePants make an appearance, not to mention some beloved names from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

Each of these characters boasts a unique moveset and has fun show-themed moves and props. Like Smash, metas are sure to develop, and players will find mains they want to ride for the game's lifespan eventually. But out of the box, everything feels pretty well balanced. 

Smash players will feel right at home with the controls and feel of gameplay. It's a typical arena-based fighter where the goal isn't to deplete health bars but to knock the opposition off the stage. Players have an arsenal of character moves to help accomplish the feat, plus blocking, grabs and more.

For Nickelodeon Brawl, there are light and heavy attack buttons to help make the gameplay feel different. It's a subtle thing that makes pulling off combos a little simpler. Also making the cut are distinctive competitive-minded features like wavedashing and strafing. Smash players will pull them off right away with ease, while even casual players won't need long to figure them out, if desired. 

One of the notable changes is the ability to pull off grabs in mid-air, which can lead to more extensive in-air combos than Smash permits. Only time will reveal whether this becomes too strong on the competitive scene and will need tuned down, but for now, it's nice to have even more freedom than usual to get some wild fights going.

Like Smash, there's a surprisingly commanding sense of control over these characters and a precision that will allow skill gaps to show up on the screen. There's no sort of input lag or sense of floatiness that creates frustration. 

There's one big difference that will stick out unfavorably compared to Smash: the lack of items and weapons. That's a big element for the prototypical Smash feel that just isn't there.

And while the more competitive-minded players won't mind the lack of a serious RNG dice roll to each match, it does remove some of the random fun that makes casual couch sessions such a blast. The spirit of what helps Smash nail the genre does seem to be missing in this regard. Smash isn't the only big name on the block because of all the above, the presence of Nintendo characters and nothing else—the pick-up-and-have-fun element with a heavy splash of randomness is what keeps it so fresh. 

Still, casual players who don't even play fighting games or even have familiarity with controllers can still pick this up and have a good time. But what's here certainly feels more aimed at keeping the game healthy for a long time by carefully balancing the wants and needs of both the competitive and casual communities. 

       

Graphics and Presentation 

If one heard about a Nickelodeon-styled Smash game, they'd probably expect a true-to-cartoons-looking experience on colorful, varied stages that have strong themes from those shows. 

And that's just what Nickelodeon Brawl offers up. 

Whether it's stomping through a Ninja Turtles-themed sewer as Reptar from the Rugrats or bringing Patrick from SpongeBob to the Showdown at Teeter-Totter Gulch, there are a ton of visually pleasing levels from fan favorites that boast plenty of interesting things going on in the background. Not all of these are flat battlefields, either, as some feature multiple platforms or even rotating items to navigate while in the fray.

What players will most notice about the presentation side of things, though, is the sound design. The actual songs that pump out while fighting are just fine. But it is a little disappointing that actual character voices and officially licensed tracks from shows didn't make the cut. But it's one of those things that's easy to forgive once partaking in the action and only really felt when actually thinking about it. 

Not so easy to forgive is the lack of noises at all from characters. It's a little odd to bemoan a game for a lack of grunts and other fighting noises, but it's a weird void during combat that the music can't hide. These characters are fighting, after all, and they should probably be making some sort of noise, right?

One side note: The overarching presentation is just window dressing that will feel quite underwhelming. The menus players navigate through are just images. And there aren't any big unlockables or bonuses to write home about other than a "gallery" that unlocks pictures. 

    

Esports appeal and more

There's a huge amount of upside here for a competitive scene. 

While a player's predominant opinion of the game will focus on lacking things like sound, there's a refined, deep fighter just below the surface of those issues. 

Besides being uber responsive, as is necessary for a game like this, all the techs Smash players would expect will create a big skill gap. Wavedashing, shielding and grabs, to name a few, are all in and feel great. 

It actually has one rather notable control wrinkle that sets it apart from Smash—a strafe button that locks in a character's direction no matter where an opponent is on the screen. The competitive scene will dictate whether that's really so big of a change to the tried-and-true formula, but it feels like it could play a big role, especially when more than two players are on a stage in a match. 

The appeal is clear, even if the cast here isn't as recognizable or necessarily as beloved as Nintendo's collection of characters. Then again, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't know who SpongeBob is. 

Really, the cast shouldn't matter too much—if a fighting game is good, it should have a healthy esports scene. And this one is very good, though the presence of these characters should help reel in more viewers for matches than it otherwise would.  

Also a boon for the esports angle? The online play, as of writing, has felt buttery smooth. It's not as clean or confidence-inspiring as other mega, heavyweight 2D fighters that have huge competitive presences around the globe. But, so far, it actually feels more reliable than Smash servers, which is saying something. 

There isn't a laundry list of modes here. Players can take fighters local and online. There's a training mode and some arcade matches, but that's it. The game focuses on the fighting itself and nails that, so it's hard to complain about a less-than-robust set of features. 

There are also a ton of noteworthy options hidden in the menus. Prominent among those is critical damage features or the inverse, which could mean hilarious fights where one shot sends the character flying off the screen for a loss.

   

Conclusion

Nickelodeon Brawl is an odd mashup.

There's a massive ceiling for a competitive scene because the fighting is so good and the mechanics and techs available will create huge skill gaps. And the fighting is so meticulously crafted and laced with fan service that it's baffling that these characters don't make any noises at all and that something as crucial as items are just missing from the experience. 

But for players who can look past the faults, it gets the gameplay right—and that's the important thing. This is a fun, if not brilliant platform fighter accessible to all ages and skills. It's also the first to really feel like legitimate competition to Smash. 

Nothing will ever dethrone Smash, but there's so much good here that it's easy to see Nickelodeon Brawl carving out its own long-term niche on the market, especially if it keeps getting love in the form of proper updates post-launch. 

EA Sports announced Thursday it's "exploring the idea of renaming" its future football video games following the release of FIFA 22 last week.

Cam Weber, the company's general manager, explained the naming rights agreement with FIFA is separate from those with regional confederations, domestic leagues and continental tournaments, so the game's depth wouldn't be impacted by a possible name change:

The breadth of our partnerships and our ecosystem of licensed content will enable us to continue to bring unrivaled authenticity in our EA Sports football games, now and for many years to come.

As we look ahead, we're also exploring the idea of renaming our global EA Sports football games. This means we're reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA, which is separate from all our other official partnerships and licenses across the football world.

The FIFA franchise has become a behemoth for EA, and that's continued since the release of FIFA 22 with Thursday's statement noting 9.1 million gamers have already played the new version.

Matt Slater of The Athletic reported the hallmark football series, which began in 1993 as FIFA International Soccer, now generates an estimated $2 billion of EA Sports' $5.6 billion in annual revenue.

FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) is a major part of that success as it has allowed the video game to generate significant revenue beyond people simply buying the game with a variety of microtransactions.

Slater noted FIFA, the sport's governing body that generates 60 percent of its income from naming rights agreements, took note of the game's success in a recent account statement.

"In contrast to the many economic sectors that were drastically affected by COVID-19, the video game industry proved far more resilient to the pandemic," the statement read.

In turn, the value of all the video game's licensing deals is on the rise as organizations become more in tune with the revenue it brings in.

Garry Crawford, a University of Salford professor who specialized in video game culture, told Slater that EA was able to land terrific deals early in the FIFA series:

It seems remarkable how easily EA got FIFA's name on the game but we forget what the football industry was like in the mid-'90s. It was miles behind American sports in terms of commercialization. When EA turned up and started asking for the rights to stadiums, kits and players, football had no idea what they had or how much to charge. EA already had experience of that from its NFL, NHL and NBA games.

Now EA is at least exploring the idea of losing the FIFA branding and trying to stand on its own, which would include a likely rebrand of FUT.

Talk of change comes after the game formerly known as Pro Evolution Soccer, one of the few competitors on the market, rebranded to eFootball for the release of eFootball 2022. The game has received mostly negative reviews following the switch.

EA Sports has a far stronger foundation to stand on, but dropping the longstanding FIFA name wouldn't come without risk for the multibillion dollar franchise.