Author: Game Infliction

Xbox Games Series Tier List

After a strong Xbox Developer Direct to kick 2025 off, things are looking good for Microsoft and its strong stable of first-party studios. But, which Xbox game series get you most excited? Which gave you more enjoyment than any other in the glory days of the 360? Or if you’ve never owned an Xbox console, which are you most looking forward to coming to other platforms like PlayStation, as Microsoft seemingly continues its plans to share its library with the world.

There are many legendary game series to choose from (especially since Microsoft’s acquisitions of both Bethesda and Activision Blizzard. That means this tier list can include any series associated with Xbox, Bethesda, and Activision Blizzard, as long as there has been more than one entry into it so far – sorry to MachineGames and Indiana Jones! Give us a sequel, please, and then you can make the cut. Just a reminder that this isn’t an all Xbox Game Series list, so we haven’t involved every single Xbox game series here, but have tried to cover the bases of current relevance and historical impact. Take a look at my personal tier list, based completely on what I’ve enjoyed playing the most over the years, here:

Doom is an easy S-tier pick for me, with the past couple of entries being amongst my favourite first-person shooters, and I’m very excited to see that Doom: The Dark Ages looks like id Software is maintaining form. I’ve also placed Forza Horizon in the S tier as they’re, perhaps outside of Burnout 3 and Burnout Revenge, the best racing games I’ve ever played. I’m sure Halo in the A tier may raise a few eyebrows, but while 2 and 3 are two of the finest campaign shooters ever made, I can’t ignore more recent inconsistencies and put it in that top bracket. I’m also more of a Fallout person than an Elder Scrolls one. I’d rather own a set of power armour than a dragon, OK?

Don’t agree with me? Think Gears of War is Xbox’s best? A big defender of Fuzion Frenzy? Well, why not have a go at ranking all of the Nintendo consoles yourself in a tier list below where you can compare your own S, A, B, C, and D tiers with the whole of the IGN community.

Is there an Xbox series we’ve missed that you’d like to give a shout-out to? Let us know in the comments, as well as why you’ve ranked the games in the order you’ve chosen.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editorial Producer who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

New Pokémon HOME Distribution Dishes Out Rare Shinies For Completing Select Pokédexes

Man(aphy), what an Enamorus opportunity.

The latest distribution event is underway in Pokémon HOME, and this one is a prime opportunity to nab some extremely rare shinies — if you’ve completed the necessary Pokédexes.

All those who have completed the Sinnoh Pokédex from Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl can head to the Pokémon HOME app to redeem a Shiny Manaphy, while a Shiny Enamorus is available for anyone who has polished off Legends: Arceus‘ Hisui Pokédex.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Outside The Blocks is a gorgeous diorama sculptor that had its developer travel Europe for architectural references

Outside The Blocks is a diorama building game so beautiful I was initially distrustful of it, as if it was some sort of dazzling carnivorous plant trying to lure me in to munch on my hands. I’ve had a play of the Steam demo now, and am happy to report that it’s still very beautiful, and also that I still have hands: an incredible victory on all counts.

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Conspiracy was briefly afoot in the Marvel Rivals community following NetEase hero plant rumours

The Marvel Rivals community was briefly awash with rumours than publisher NetEase were playing 4D chess with their hero-loving hearts last week, according to a new report by Michael Cripe for Ian Games The rumours began in a Discord for the team shooter named Marvel Rivals Leaks, where user Keone speculated that NetEase were seeding fake information on upcoming heroes for dataminers to find.

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Level-5’s Long-Awaited Fantasy Life Sequel Seems To No Longer Be A Switch Exclusive

The more the merrier.

After ongoing delays, we’ve got another update about the long-awaited Switch release Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and it might not be what you expect…

As highlighted by Gematsu, it seems the sequel may no longer be a Nintendo-only release, with a listing popping up on the PlayStation Store overnight for PS4 and PS5 versions of the game before being removed.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

(For Southeast Asia) PlayStation Power Up Deals in the Philippines

Hi everyone! We are happy to share our Power Up Deals in the Philippines and it will feature discounts on PlayStation 5, PS VR2, DualSense wireless controllers and PlayStation gaming audio peripherals.

Power Up Deals promotion starts from February 1st till February 14th, in participating retailers in the Philippines: https://www.playstation.com/en-ph/local/retailers/. 

Please see below for full details of PlayStation Power Up Deals 2025 in the Philippines. 

PlayStation 5 ConsolesOriginal SRPPromotion SRP
PlayStation®5PHP 30,790PHP 27,990
PlayStation®5 console – Two DualSense™ Wireless Controllers BundlePHP 33,990PHP 31,190
PeripheralsOriginal SRPPromotion SRP
PlayStation VR2PHP 34,790 PHP 22,990 
DualSense® wireless controller (White, Midnight Black, Cosmic Red, Nova Pink, Galactic Purple, Starlight Blue, Gray Camouflage)PHP 4,290 PHP 3,490 
DualSense® wireless controller (Volcanic Red, Cobalt Blue, Sterling Silver, Chroma Pearl, Chroma Indigo, Chroma Teal)PHP 4,590 PHP 3,790 
Pulse Elite Wireless HeadsetPHP 8,390 PHP 7,290 
Pulse Explore Wireless EarbudsPHP 12,490 PHP 10,790 

Gears of War: E-Day: People Can Fly Announced as Co-Developers

Poland-based game studio People Can Fly has been announced as the co-developer of the upcoming Gears of War: E-Day alongside The Coalition.

In a press release People Can Fly says it is “honored to return to the world of Gears of War[.]” The studio previously served as the lead developer of Gears of War: Judgment after co-developing Gears of War 1-3. “Returning to collaborate on the next chapter of this ligendary saga is both a privilege and an exciting opportunity to build upon the intense, visceral action and rich storytelling that fans have come to love.”

Gears of War: E-Day was announced at last year’s Xbox Showcase and is set to be a prequel to the original trilogy starring younger versions of characters like Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago. And yes, the original actors will be returning to reprise their roles.

The game will cover the origins of the Locust invasion on Emergence Day. In a sit down with IGN, Brand Director Nicole Fawcette and Creative Director Matt Searcy said that the goal is to focus on the horror elements from the original trilogy. “What if the ground opened up and monsters came out? Yeah, it’s set on a fictional, other planet, but there are very human reactions and stories we get to tell,” Searcy tells IGN. “To do that, we need to be able to tell a story that feels like a horror story.”

People Can Fly was founded in 2002 and became known for games like Bullestorm and Painkiller. Epic Games acquired the studio in 2007, briefly renaming the studio Epic Games Poland, before the company spun off independently under its old name and logo.

Gears of War: E-Day will be the studio’s next major game after the launch of Outriders in 2021. Be sure to check out our op-ed on why Gears of War needs to rediscover its blockbuster levels of entertainment again with E-Day.

Matt Kim is IGN’s Senior Features Editor.

Review: Guilty Gear -Strive- Nintendo Switch Edition (Switch) – A Fine Port & A Bold New Step

Smell of the game.

Since Guilty Gear first arrived on Sony’s PlayStation in 1998, singeing the air with furious guitar shredding, it’s always been a head turner. While graphically, its goth-rock anime stylings have dazzled with each iteration, Arc System Works’ foremost achievement is in managing to differentiate itself from Capcom’s heavily aped fighting game paradigm. That said, with the series becoming so increasingly convoluted over the last 26 years, ostracising many a would-be player as a result, a redress of sorts was needed. It’s here that Guilty Gear Strive steps in.

Strive remains tonally as it ever was: all-leather and metal; characters that sit somewhere between glam rock and BDSM fetishists; and a blaze of raucous, revved, spectacular battling. Where Guilty Gear XRD (2014) more closely resembled its predecessors, Strive totally overhauls its character models to be larger and more detailed, from muscle ripples to flailing buckles, and introduces new features while removing some others.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com