The Gamer Guide - Issue 6

The Preamble So, you have stumbled across The Gamer Guide and you are wondering, “Why do I need a guide to gaming?” Well, we will not guide you on how to game, but we will keep you informed as to what the gaming industry has to offer to get you the best gaming experience! Now, the second thing you are probably wondering is, “How did The Gamer Guide start?” Well, it can be a slightly long story. However, the shortened version is that the journey of three Twitch streamers brought them together, and with their passion for gaming, their experiences of streaming, and their love for everything within the world of entertainment… The Gamer Guide was born.

But what exactly is The Gamer Guide? The Gamer Guide is a digital magazine that focuses on everything gaming and streaming. This includes the latest/upcoming releases, reviews on gaming accessories, streaming tips, and even interviews with streamers and industry professionals from across the globe. Our readership is predominantly other gamers and streamers, just like us! We understand that the love and passion for gaming extends far beyond just playing a game, and that is what we are all about!

So, who are the people behind this magazine?

Cal Howie - Operations Director Cal, also known as EyeStayProd has been streaming since September 2020 and loves everything about it whether it be the community, the rage moments or even just having fun and brightening people’s days! Predominantly he is an Xbox Gamer and recently added the Series X to his arsenal, but he also has a PS4 for certain games as well as having the Nintendo Switch to hand!

His game of choice is Apex Legends but is no stranger to RPGs and other games, such as every Pokémon game in the franchise, the Fable Series, Call of Duty amongst loads more.

Brandon Sawyer - Content Director Brandon, also known as Sawyers Gaming Central or Sawyer for short has been streaming since April 2020 and absolutely loves everything about it from the communities to the gameplays and reactions even a couple of rages thrown in there on a couple of occasions, but mostly he just loves to have fun and make people laugh which he can be quite hilarious at times!

Predominantly he is an Xbox Gamer where he mostly plays his Xbox Series X but also has a gaming pc, a Nintendo switch, and even a Playstation. Sawyer is mainly a variety streamer where his main love is Gears of war and RPGs and due to Sawyers background he has come on board with The Gamer Guide as the Content Director, so we’re sure you’ll all learn to love this familiar face and don’t hesitate to pop by and say hi!

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Emily Welfare - Creative Director Emily, also known as CreativeTrashGaming, started streaming in the latter half of 2020 with the goal of bringing a bit of joy and laughter to the world, as well as the aim of raising money for various charities.

Her favourite types of games are those with a compelling story, or those that just make her inner Fantasy Nerd go ballistic. She also likes spooky stuff, not just in the gaming realm but in general, and has a podcast with her two sisters where they discuss all things horror. Emily loves to dabble in the art world often, creating digital art pieces and learning new crafts. A graphics designer in her full time job, Emily is an integral part of the team whom designs the entire layout of our magazines from top to bottom!

Josh Hyland Josh, also known as DifferentialUK (or Diff for short!) has been a gamer since he could walk and has been streaming since September 2020. He started PC gaming as a kid, and moved his way through the various consoles, but has returned to the PC master race and is very much a PC gamer (although he still has his Xbox to hand!) His go to games include Sea of Thieves, Destiny 2, Gears of War, but as a variety streamer/gamer he has a wide genre range.

Aside from the gaming and streaming world, Josh is also a beatboxer & Singer performing in venues across the country, and also runs an automotive Twitch series called Hard Drive Auto Show.

Want to keep up with the team? You can find their Twitch channels below! @DifferentialUK @EyeStayProd @CreativeTrashGaming @ SawyersGamingCentral If you want to help support this small but passionate team, you could also head over to the official TGG website and subscribe to the magazine for completely free, that way you will be the first to know when a new issue is released!

www.thegamerguidemag.com

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contents 48 games coming in 2022

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what’s new on our youtube channel?

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Gambit gaming

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hideit mounts

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rig gaming

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rode microphones

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e3 2022 event update

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the game awards recap

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what was tgg’s game of the year?

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what is coming to playstation in 2022

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psvr 2

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what is coming to xbox in 2022

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xbox acquires activision

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amd, intel & nvidia announcements

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halo infinite review

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rainbow six: extraction review

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the gunk review

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che durena interview

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superduperdani interview

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prohenis interview

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sabrina the witxh interview Property of WB Games Montreal

48 games coming in 2022 Rainbow Six Extraction Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC Developer: Ubisoft Release date: January 20th 2022 (Out now!)

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Platform: Switch Developer: Game Freak Release date: January 28th 2022 (Out now!)

Dying Light Stay Human Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox, Switch Developer: Techland Release date: February 4th 2022

Sifu Platform: PS5, PS4, PC Developer: Sloclap Release date: February 8th 2022

CrossfireX

Platform: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One Developer: Remedy Entertainmennt, Smilegate Release date: February 10th 2022

Total War: Warhammer 3

Platform: PC Developer: Creative Assembly Release date: February 17th 2022

Horizon Forbbiden West

Platform: PS5, PS4 Developer: Guerilla Games Release date: February 18th 2022

Property of Avalanche Software

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Elden Ring Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC Developer: FromSoftware Release date: February 25th 2022

Evil Dead: The Game Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC Developer: Saber Interactive Release date: February 2022

Babylon’s Fall Platform:PS4, PS5, PC Developer: PlatinumGames Release date: March 3rd 2022

Gran Turismo 7 Platform: PS5 Developer: Polyphony Digital Release date: March 4th 2022

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC Developer: Team Ninja Release date: March 18th 2022

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands

Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC Developer: Gearbox Software Release date: March 25th 2022

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC Developer: TT Games Release date: April 5th 2022

Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals

Platform: PS5, PS4, Switch, PC Developer: Night School Studio Release date: EARLY 2022

Forspoken

Platform: PS5, PC Developer: Luminous Productions Release date: Spring 2022

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Credit: Tango Tango Gameworks Gameworks Credit:

Ghostwire: Tokyo Platform: PS5, PC Developer: Tango Gameworks Release date: Spring 2022

Kirby and the Forgotten Land Platform: Switch Developer: HAL Laboratory Release date: Spring 2022

Star Trek: Resurgence Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC Developer: Dramatic Labs Release date: Spring 2022

The Day Before Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Developer: FNTASTIC Release date: June 21st 2022 (PC), TBA (Consoles)

Saints Row

Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, PC Developer: Deep Silver Volition Release date: August 23rd 2022

Redfall

Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC Developer: Arkane Studios Release date: Summer 2022

Scorn

Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC Developer: Ebb Software Release date: October 2022

Starfield

Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC Developer: Bethesda Game Studios Release date: November 11th 2022

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl

Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC Developer: GSC Game World Release date: December 8th 2022

Credit: Gearbox Software

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The Lord of The Rings: Gollum Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC Developer: Daedalic Release date: Fall 2022

Company of Heroes 3 Platform: PC Developer: Relic Entertainment Release date: Late 2022

Homeworld 3 Platform: PC Developer: Blackbird Interactive Release date: Q4 2022

Marvel’s Midnight Suns Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC Developer: Firaxis Games Release date: Second Half 2022

A Plague Tale: Requiem

Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Developer: Asobo Studio Release date: 2022

Arc Raiders

Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Developer: Embark Studio Release date: 2022

Ark 2

Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC Developer: Studio Wildcard Release date: 2022

Bayonetta 3

Platform: Switch Developer: PlatinumGames Release date: 2022

The Callisto Protocol

Platform: PS5,Xbox Series X/S, PC Developer: Striking Distance Studios Release date: 2022

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Credit: Bethesda Game Studios

God of War Ragnarok Platform: PS5, PS4 Developer: Santa Monica Studio Release date: 2022

Gotham Knights Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 , Xbox One, PC Developer: WB Montreal Release date: 2022

Hogwarts Legacy Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC Developer: Portkey Games Release date: 2022

Kerbal Space Program 2 Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC Developer: Intercept Games Release date: 2022

Layers of Fear 2022

Platform: TBA Developer: Bloober Team Release date: 2022

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild 2 Platform: Switch Developer: Nintendo Release date: 2022

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

Platform: Switch Developer: Ubisoft Release date: 2022

Nightingale

Platform: PC Developer: Inflexion Games Release date: 2022

The Outlast Trials

Platform: PC (Othes TBA) Developer: Red Barrels Release date: 2022

Credit: Santa Monica Studio

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Shadow Warrior 3 Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC Developer: Flying Wild Hog Release date: Fall 2022

Sonic Frontiers Platform:PS5, Xvbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC Developer: Sonic Team Release date: 2022

Spaltoon 3 Platform: Switch Developer: Nintendo Release date: 2022

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC Developer: Rocksteady Studios Release date: 2022

Credit: FromSoftware

Credit: Rocksteady Studios

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What’s new on our youtube channel?

We have an ever-growing library of videos where we do in-depth reviews of the latest tech, unbox some exciting goodies and much more! Take a look at just some of the videos linked below, and hit that subscribe button whilst you’re there!

Big things are in the works at TGG for 2022, including a new series on our YouTube channel, so if you want to be kept up to date on some exciting new stuff, head to our website and subscribe to our magazine for free!

www.thegamerguidemag.com YouTube: @TheGamerGuide

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Gambit Gaming Gambit Gaming is a fantastic apparel brand that marries their passion for gaming with comfortable clothing that is more subtle in style rather than loud. Rooted in the heart of England, Gambit Gaming are committed to redefining what gaming clothing is, and creating a high quality, long lasting product. We were lucky enough to sit down with James Evans to talk about his business and what inspired him to start it!

Hey James! First of all, we would like to thank you for chatting with us today. How have you been?

Hey! Thanks for having me, I’ve been good, very busy as most people are over the festive period, but it’s been fun nonetheless.

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Gaming, a stylish, high quality Gaming Clothing brand, and I couldn’t wait any longer. After some really eventful months, we finally launched 30th March 2021.

Glad to hear that you are busy and we can relate, the festive period is so busy every year round, Great to see you are too. We see that you started in 2020, what inspired you to start producing clothing?

We can relate the hustle but being your own boss is really something special and doing something you love is a bonus too, great to see you made the leap and have started this amazing brand. We see your product range is based around gaming?

What made you decide to start producing products around gaming?

That’s right, I’ve always wanted to start my own business, and I’ve always wanted to make a product people love that they can be proud of. But as I’ve always had a full time job, it’s been difficult trying to find the time and resources to juggle both a challenging job, and a new start up. But back in 2020 I came up with the concept for Gambit

I’ve always loved Gaming, it’s been my main hobby for as long as I can remember. I love everything about it, from the community, the social aspect to the intense storytelling and experiences you can only get from Video Games. I’ve also always liked quality clothing, I’m not a big fan of printed logos that could fade or thin material you usually get

Model in Photo: @paradoxperfected

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with a lot of apparel, so I made a product that firstly I, and the people who I game with, loved and then went from there.

All of us here at TGG are hardcore veteran gamers too so we understand the lover and passion for it, Quality is always key and from seeing your products you do get what you pay for as they are so brilliantly made. We see you currently make t-shirts. Will you be expanding into other items and clothing and accessories?

Definitely! We want to expand our range to Hoodies and E-sports wear, as well as a range of gaming room accessories. But right now we’re just a 2 person team, so the expansion is going to be slow, but I think we will get there.

We’re determined to make the business a success and expand the range to what our customers are asking for, and that’s our priority, our customers. We have a suggestions page on our website for anyone to email in with ideas or requests for new designs and new clothing styles, and we read every single one, it’s really great to see ideas we wouldn’t have even thought of, and can’t thank people enough for their contributions.

Love that you’re going to expand one day. We’d love to check out some of your hoodies and other items in the near future. Could you talk us through the process of a piece of your clothing being made? From design to delivery?

So most of our T-shirts are 100% Combed cotton, with the exception of our light Grey T-shirts such as The Leviathan and The Legend which are 90% Combed Cotton. We source all of these from a UK based Supplier.

Our designs are then digitised, and then carefully embroidered using high quality embroidery machines for a clean and long lasting finish. We then pack all T-shirts to order by hand, adding our swing tags and branding ensuring every T-shirt we send out is to the highest standard.

We then send out every package via Royal Mail, our boxes are designed to fit straight through most letterboxes to, so no waiting in for your parcels.

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Such detail and awesome effort from your team the cotton quality really does make a difference and as for the packaging it would most certainly fit most mailboxes, nobody loves the postman leaving a parcel on their doorstep, Great thinking.

Comfort is one of the key factors people look out for when trying new clothing. What process did you go through to ensure your clothing would suit everyone’s needs?

100% comfort and quality are the two main standards we looked at when we chose the T-shirts we have. We wanted to ensure they were 100% high quality cotton where we could, to give the best comfort and quality. We also wanted to ensure the clothing was a unisex fit, and not too thin or thick so it could be worn all year round. We must have sampled 50 different T-shirt styles until we settled on the ones we have now, and we think they’re great quality.

Well from testing out your products it’s safe to say you’ve hit it on the head with comfort and quality we highly recommend. When starting a business, goals and ambition are very important. What are some of the goals that you have hit and which are the ones you’re still striving for?

Definitely, our main goal was to simply launch a range and hope people would like them, and thankfully they did! But we knew it was going to be a slow process to get to where we want to be. The size of the range is pretty much where we expected it to be by the end of 2021, with the hopes to have 4/5 more styles in 2022 and move on to expand into hoodies by the end of 2022 in time for the autumn season.

Our end goal is to be a one stop shop for quality gaming clothing and products that are different from the usual items you get; we really love the idea of comfort in the Gaming room, not just in terms of clothing, but the complete package.

We have things in the pipeline that we hope our customers love, but it’s too early to announce anything yet!

Such great goals and fantastic achievements in the first year! We totally agree with the whole package you’re going for, It will make a huge difference in the long run. Any Gears of War themed hoodies in the new launch you know where to send them as our team are die hard fans which we already love the horde tee! Aftercare

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is a must to make sure clothing lasts as long as possible and doesn’t develop problems such as shrinking in the wash, print fading, etc. What would you recommend is the best way to look after your products?

It is, and we have made a lot of effort to ensure our clothing is as long lasting as possible, 100% cotton, with embroidered logos and we’ve even changed the hem labels from when we launched to make them longer lasting and more secure.

After care should be quite simple, wash all our clothing at 30⁰C, don’t tumble dry and our clothing is made to last.

We have tried your products for a couple of months now with daily wear and a lot of washes and we can happily say they still look brand new so you are doing an amazing job at that.

What product would you recommend for any new potential buyers?

We have a range now where there should be T-shirts inspired by a game you love, and that range is growing, so we’d recommend choosing a game you love, or play often. Right now we really love our Legend T-shirt, we think it’s so simple and effective and inspired by one of the biggest games out there right now.

Yeah people have their own preferences on games that they love with such a variety im sure they would be pleased with any they purchase.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of starting their own clothing brand?

Take your time, look for quality and listen to your customers. Things aren’t always going to go right the first time, you’ll make mistakes and that’s fine, if you have a solid idea you believe in and that your customers love, keep working at it and you’ll do great.

Thank you, that’s great advice for our readers.

I’m sure it’ll help some of them. What for you, differentiates Gambit Gaming from other similar companies operating within the same industries as yourselves?

You’re right, there are many Gaming clothing cmpanies out there, and what we wanted to do to make us different, is have none of our products too brash and bold, have simple quality embroidered logos, rather than the printed ones 15

you usually see on sale. But what we really liked the idea of, is having clothing you could wear anywhere, that’s not obvious to everyone that you’re wearing a Gaming T-shirt, but when someone recognises it, it creates an instant reaction.

We have tried a bunch of gaming related brands for apparel and we can say you do stand out, you’re not bold with the logos, your more subtle and ideal, looks very clean and professional in my opinion. You mentioned earlier that you love gaming and that you are a gamer, what is your gaming platform choice, what is your go to game, and what really excites you about the gaming world?

100% when I’m not at work, sending out products or looking at ways to improve Gambit Gaming, I’m on a console. Be it a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X or Nintendo Switch I’m usually playing something, my “to play” list is getting bigger by the day and I don’t think I’m ever going to get through it. But the industry is just getting bigger and bigger, Xbox Game Pass is amazing and I really see that method of service only becoming more mainstream. The Gaming world is only getting bigger, with the new gaming engines such as unreal 5 and cloud gaming getting better and better, there’s never been a more exciting time in the gaming world.

Gaming does help with that mind focus especially in the industry and providing content/ products for that industry it’s great to see your open to all consoles with so many great exclusives on all platforms. On the subject of gaming, what would be your Top 5 Games of all time?

Oh that’s a hard one, I’ll need to cheat a little bit and merge a few together but try and think of a top 5.

Halo 2 & 3, I spent so many hours on those games, split screen multiplayer and LAN parties were my childhood.

I’m a massive SoulsBorne fan with Bloodborne being my absolute favourite.

The Last of us Part 1&2 – Absolute masterpieces from Naughty Dog

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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – in my opinion one of the best RPGs ever made, and definitely the best star wars game.

Metal Gear Solid – this is the first time I can remember genuinely being amazed what video games could do. With the secret codec code on the disc and playing in controller slot 2 to beat Psycho Mantis, I think Hideo Kojima is an absolute genius.

Some awesome choices, we love Halo too and the rest are equally amazing, Hideo is a genius, we hope his new studio releases some games soon! If you had to choose one game only to play forever, what would you choose?

Halo: the Master Chief Collection, it has it all, amazing story, classic multiplayer and the best theme in Gaming History.

Ah a great choice then you’ve got a bunch of games to choose from such an awesome franchise. Finally, what are you currently working on that you’d like our readers to know about/check out? And do you have any big things planned you’d love to share for 2022?

We’d love them to check out our website, send us suggestions and ideas of what they’d like to see, and follow us on social media to show their support and keep up to date with our latest releases. 2022 is definitely the year of the Hoodie, so keep an eye out and thanks to everyone who supports us.

Thank you for all of this James it’s been an absolute pleasure to interview you and your wonderful company Gambit Gaming, with 2022 being the year of the hoodie, please do make a Horde version for us! We love the tee and highly recommend your products.

Thank you for all of this James it’s been an absolute pleasure to interview you and your wonderful company Gambit Gaming, with 2022 being the year of the hoodie, please do make a Horde version for us! We love the tee and highly recommend your products.

If you’d love to purchase some of Gambit Gaming’s products you can check out their webpage and social pages! www.gambitgaming.co.uk Facebook: @GambitGamingUK Twitter: @GAMBITGaming_UK Instagram: @gambitgaming_UK

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Model in Photo: @therealkeeboslice

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HIDEit Mounts is an excellent brand that is dedicated to improving your gaming space by providing mounts that fit all of your devices to keep them safe and neat. With a team who meticulously test every single mount they design and a great community that provide feedback, HIDEit Mounts are confident that all of their products would improve your quality of life when it comes to gaming. We were lucky enough to be able to sit with Brandon Stephenson to discuss the amazing company.

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Hey Brandon! Thanks for speaking with us!

Firstly, could you provide me with some insight into your history in terms of career, how you came to be in, not only the gaming industry, but also the gaming accessories industry. What made you decide that these industries are right for you?

Such a great background and focus in the industry it’s great to see such similar interests, Could you briefly introduce us to HIDEIt. What was the deciding factor to diversify into gaming and accessories? E.g. a brief overview of the company, your main focus, products, locations etc.

Thanks for the invite! I’m pretty new on this side of the video game industry, having started at HIDEit Mounts as a copywriter in February 2021. However, I’ve always wanted to get in the industry in any capacity since I’m a massive gamer! So, I made that my goal when I went to college. I studied journalism, intending to work on the press side (like The Gamer Guide!). I cut my teeth writing and podcasting for several gaming-focused websites while I was in college and had a blast talking about games.

HIDEit Mounts started in 2009 after co-owners Rey and Chuck Shirley needed a safe way to store their Nintendo Wii. They had difficulties finding a safe spot for the console, and the wires became challenging to manage. That’s when Rey had the idea to mount the Wii like how they had their TV mounted! After some searching online, they couldn’t find a solution, and Chuck took it upon himself to make one. After a trip to the hardware store, the first Nintendo Wii Mount was made and HIDEit was born!

After I got an internship at another company, I started focusing on marketing, which caused a pivot from journalism to marketing. I jumped at the opportunity with HIDEit because it combined my passion (gaming) and what I went to school for (writing) in one. Being a family-owned company from my hometown was an added bonus!

Over the years, customers began requesting mounts for more devices — console mounts, cable boxes, Apple TV mounts, and eventually sporting gear mounts — and the rest is history!

Again, HIDEit is a family-owned company working out of Reno, Nevada, but we ship worldwide!

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Wow starting way back with a classic like the Wii it’s great to see how far HIDEit has come over the years. What for you, differentiates HideIt from other similar companies operating within the same industries as yourselves? We know you have a variety of products for gaming devices, how do you make your products stand out?

There’s a lot that separates us from our competitors! Let’s start with the mounts. We agonize over every little detail when making our mounts. We think about how, where, and why they’d use our mounts. We think about the aesthetic, the fit, how well it holds up, ease of install, etc. The list goes on and on. On our PS5 Mount, for example, we went through 20 different iterations before landing on the current design! Many of our competitors don’t have this same process and cut corners to make a quick buck. We also use steel rather than plastic, adhesive, or Velcro, all options that will fail over time due to the weight of the consoles and the heat they give off. Our mounts stand the test of time. Our PS5 and Xbox Series X Mounts will be holding up your console until the next iterations come out!

Then there’s the human element to it. We’re not a faceless brand or company. We’re not in this to make a quick buck. Believe it or not, we have humans running our customer service! When a customer reaches out to us, someone like me responds back and tries to fix an issue. In fact, I work customer service often! We’ve found that’s rare for any company of any size, and it’s something we’re proud of.

After testing out your products we can really see that you do set the bar very high and the quality is great. As an established gaming accessories company, how do you ensure growth moving forward? How important is innovation, how do you keep up with the advancements in technology and current trends?

Innovation is essential, and it’s a defining principle of this company. HIDEit was founded because there wasn’t an easy solution to mount a console. And we’ve kept innovating with each console and each new mount. We switched to

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metal when most of our competitors stayed with acrylic or other plastics. We took aesthetics into account when most still don’t.

We want our mounts to be easy to install while others overcomplicate them. Our mounts are deceptively simple, but we like it that way. Yes, you can hide your console, but we want the mount hidden, as well.

To keep up with trends, it’s all about listening to the customer. We wouldn’t be here without them.

When someone asks us to make a mount for a specific device, we look into it. We actually have a Slack thread dedicated to customer requests!

After a request, we take a look at what’s out there, how we can improve, and if we can do it for an affordable price for the customer. If we can nail all those, we’ll release a product. It’s difficult to keep up sometimes since so many electronics come out, but we work hard to keep customers happy with options!

Yeah trends are the go to atm we have noticed you do set them very well over on your TikTok page which we love. Are there any past projects or achievements that you’re particularly proud of at HIDEIt which you’d like to highlight in the article?

I have plenty to be proud of, but I’m going to highlight something the team worked through before my time. The launch of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S put immense pressure on the team for a successful mount launch.

Everyone on the design team, the marketing team, and the warehouse team felt the heat at some point. Out of the gate, the biggest hurdle to overcome is that we don’t get access to consoles early. The design team worked with nothing more than a few reference photos for most of the design process to develop prototypes.

Once the consoles launched, testing the mounts was crucial. Our design team worked hard to ensure no major design changes were needed.

The mounts needed minor tweaks, but each change meant delaying launch. The team wanted to hit the holiday deadline, plus thousands of customers pre-orders these mounts.

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Keep in mind; the team did this work while navigating COVID protocols. To keep this story short, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S became our most pre-ordered mounts and are some of the most in-demand products we sell.

We can only imagine how hard that must have been and after testing out your Series X mount we are very pleased with the outcome. Out of all the setups you’ve seen and been sent which included HIDEIt mounts, what is your favourite and why?

Can I cheat and say all of them? We get so many submissions through our #afterHIDEit and #HIDEitStory contest that you’d think we don’t see all of them, but we do! At least once a day, we have someone at the office saying, “come check this setup out,” and we all run over to their computer.

Whether someone is showing off their gaming setup, a before/after of their living room, or an awesome sports display, I’m always impressed by what people put together while using our mounts! We also have a ton of affiliates that tag us in their photos. I love seeing their setups because I can see how hard they worked and the passion they have.

I will say that even if you don’t think your setup is worthy, send it in! We love seeing them!

It’s great to see your team are invested in feedback and love seeing new ways people showcase your product. Looking ahead, what are the plans and projects for 2022?

For 2022, we’re looking to continue our product expansion (send in those requests!) and expand our presence in other markets. We’re already in the U.K. and EU, for instance, but we want to make sure those markets have access to all of our mounts at great prices.For future products, we talk daily about expanding our PC lineup for cases and accessories. In recent years, we’ve seen an explosion in PC popularity, with dozens asking us for mounts each month.

Some of our mounts naturally work for PC accessories -- our Uni-LXW works for smaller PC cases, while our headset mount and controller 23

mount works for other accessories -- but it’ll be about finding a better solution for gaming PCs. It’s great to see you expanding and looking for new ideas. We most certainly would say PC mounts as our team would love one of those and many others we know too. With your brand name, and position in the industry, do you run a sponsorship or brand ambassador programme?

If so, could you name a few, and how important are they to the growth and success of the business?

Sponsorships are something we’ve looked into, but it’s not in the cards at the moment. We focus primarily on our affiliate program and sign new people up all the time! Most of our affiliates are incredibly passionate about our products and post their setups daily. We have a large social media following, particularly on Instagram and TikTok, where we share these photos and videos, too. It’s been a two-way street of success, both for the influencer/affiliate and us! We’ve helped influencers gain new audiences, and they’ve helped us grow to the size we are today.

We have seen a fair few of your affiliates and they really do help make your brand shine.

On another note, you previously mentioned that you are a gamer, so what is your gaming platform choice, what is your go to game, and what really excites you about the gaming world?

I’m a massive gamer, as is pretty much everyone at the office! I’ve been a lifelong PlayStation gamer, but I play many games on my Switch and LOVE playing Halo with friends on Xbox.

The PlayStation 5 is my “primary” console (I’m a big trophy hunter), but I’ll play any game on any platform.

My go-to game is Kingdom Hearts 2. Yes, I’m a big KH fan. No, don’t get me started about the story and lore unless you have hours to listen.

Kingdom Hearts 2 is my favorite game and is just comfort food for me. I love immersing myself in that world, and the combat is incredible. I do a play-through at least once a year!

What excites me about gaming? That’s a loaded question with a thousand different answers, but I love seeing how the three major players have 24

different focuses. I love that PlayStation keeps focusing on major tent-pole titles like SpiderMan, The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, and more. Nintendo keeps trucking along with their franchises, but I adore the portability of the Switch. Playing Breath of the Wild on the go was an experience unlike anything I’d ever had before.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Microsoft can continue the growth with Game Pass, and it’ll be scary when their major first-party titles get on the service. Playing Starfield, Fable, Halo, and Redfall all for $15 a month, sign me up! No matter the platform, it’s an exciting time to be a gamer.

A man of great taste we can see Halo is one of our all time favourites too and it is great to see the variety as all consoles have such great games and content available. Finally, is there anything else that you feel you would like to mention that we may not have covered?

Just a thank you to all of the HIDEit Fam! We wouldn’t be here without you. It’s cliche, I know, but we mean it. We’re a small business, so every comment, share, review, photo means more to us than you could imagine. From all of us at HIDEit, thank you!

Big shout out to all the HIDEit Family and the amazing work they do, please make sure to check out all their socials and where to buy their fantastic products below.

www.hideitmounts.com Facebook: @HIDEitMounts Twitter: @HIDEitMounts Instagram: @hideitmounts TikTok: @HIDEit Mounts YouTube: @HIDEIt Mounts, Inc.

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Founded in Santa Cruz, California, RIG is a premium gaming accessory brand and a leader in tournament audio for professional gaming. RIG introduced the first stadium-class esports headset in 2012 and is trusted by sound stage professionals, team coaches and pro players during league and live events worldwide. We had a chat with Gregory Morquin, the Global Business Director of RIG, and discussed the company and it’s goals for the future!

Hey Gregory! Thanks for speaking with us!

Firstly, could you provide me with some insight into your history in terms of career, how you came to be in, not only the gaming industry, but also the gaming accessory industry. What made you decide that these industries are right for you?

I’ve spent the last 20 years in the Consumer Electronics industry, specialising in Gaming and Audio. Most of that time was at Poly (formerly Plantronics), an audio pioneer and a global leader in the communications industry, in various positions in consumer product development, as well as sales and marketing for the RIG premium gaming accessories brand.

When Poly exited the consumer and gaming markets, I joined NACON, a leading video game developer and designer of premium gaming accessories, which acquired the RIG brand.

Now to answer the question about why the gaming industry… First because it’s fun to play games… but also because at RIG, we have the vision that gaming is sport. And I deeply believe in the values with this vision: a spirit of competition, a desire to constantly improve and a need for performance.

Wow, that is some experience and a vast knowledge in the electronic, gaming and audio sector. As we return to a somewhat normality after a global pandemic, how has the last year been for RIG Gaming? What is your take on the gaming industry & the accessory industry following a global pandemic? Is it an exciting space to be working in? Is there a lot of competition to deal with?

The video gaming industry has grown considerably across all markets due to the various lockdowns imposed globally. This in turn has contributed to the video game accessory market, as more people turn to gaming in lockdown for entertainment.

While the industry has always been an exciting space for me to work in, it’s interesting to see the surge in brands that are entering the space, looking for different ways to connect with their markets during the lockdown. There has always been healthy competition in the accessory market, but now we are seeing increased competition through other industries looking to break in.

The gaming industry has really thrived massively over the last few years it’s great to see you are also doing the same and trying to connect with many others in the industry.

Briefly introduce me to RIG Gaming. E.g. a brief overview of the company, your main focus, products, locations etc.

RIG is a global leader in gaming headsets.

From its inception, RIG has developed products that deliver superior audio for competitive gamers and streamers at all levels. The RIG team is committed to pushing boundaries and to bringing first-to-market innovations that enhance the gaming experience. We’ve recently launched controllers in addition to our headsets, including the PRO Compact controller for Xbox, MG-X and MG-X Pro mobile controllers for Android phones.

After trying out your products we can say that the audio quality is superb and the new products you keep launching really do up the bar. What, for you, differentiates RIG Gaming from other similar companies operating within the same industries as yourselves?

We have dedicated years to providing and perfecting the best gaming headsets to our customers, becoming a leader and main provider for professional esports tournaments, focusing on one peripheral only. We also partnered with first parties and Dolby Atmos to provide the best audio to our customers. Headsets were our focus and once we hit our goal, we expanded in the past year to controllers.

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Such a great system is Dolby Atmos it’s great to see you both working together to provide the best in audio. With technology developing at a super-fast pace, how important is innovation, development and research? Do you feel that you would rate your social media presence as one of your priorities?

We spent a lot of time and research developing our products to be where they are now. Comfort, durability, and quality were the three main pillars we used to innovate our RIG headsets, to create the top-notch product that exists today. Given our main creed is to provide the best products for gamers, it’s incredibly important to us that we have the right strategy in developing our peripherals.

Our social media channels are one way our customers stay in touch with us, and given its importance to our target market, it’s definitely one of our priorities.

Socials are very key nowadays. The feedback from your customers is what makes you perfect your product. We can see that you really do listen to your community. Are there any past projects or achievements that you’re particularly proud of which you’d like to highlight in the article?

I would probably pick the story of the headset that is still used by most of the professional esport leagues, teams, and players, during onstage gaming events.

It started 10 years ago after we signed a deal with the “Electronic Sport World Cup” (ESWC); we had to craft a headset for players competing on stage that was able to block 80% of the noise coming from the event crowd with the support of the “Specials Product” division at Plantronics (now Poly). Initially designed to block the sound of a jet engine, this “military” headset with ruggedized ear cup design and “Carrier Deck” noise isolation was turned into an esport industry headset: the RIG Commander PRO. The first, best and only stadium-class tournament headset! Think about it as a Formula One headset for esports! Only champions can drive it. As with RIG Commander PRO, this headset provides the noise cancellation and communication clarity that professional 28

esports players need when they play to win and must stay focused, no matter the number of enthusiastic fans cheering up.

That is really some accomplishment and such a great achievement to be proud of. Looking ahead, what does 2021 & 2022 bring, what are the plans and projects for the coming years?

It’s been 18 months since RIG joined NACON. Now that we have ensured continuity through a global brand integration, most of our efforts are now focused on product development and marketing. 2022 will be rich with new RIG products. New headsets are a given, but because we see streaming and game broadcasting changing how gamers play games, you can expect products focused on competitive gamers, who are also streamers.

We are very excited to see what is in store for you all in 2022 and we can’t wait to showcase more. On a personal note, are you a gamer, and if so what is your gaming platform choice, what is your go to game, and what really excites you about the gaming world?

My guilty pleasure is (virtually) driving fast and expensive cars… Gran Turismo on PlayStation.

For everything else because I’m short of downtime, I’m now mostly a “voyeur” on Twitch or YouTube…

Fast cars and the luxury lifestyle don’t we all love that, the team here are massive Forza fans so we can really relate to that one. Finally, is there anything else that you feel you would like to mention that we may not have covered?

No, but if anyone thinks differently, please reach out!

You can follow RIG Gaming and check out their products here: www.riggaming.com Twitter: @RIGGaming Facebook: @RIGGaming Instagram: @rigggaming TikTok: @RIG Gaming YouTube: @RIG Gaming

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ANOTHER GAME-CHANGING NEXT-GENERATION VIDEOMIC FROM RoDE RØDE is excited to introduce another game-changing addition to its legendary range of oncamera microphones. Introducing the VideoMic GO II, an ultra-lightweight and compact shotgun microphone that’s packed with innovative features for today’s content creators. Like the original VideoMic GO, one of RØDE’s best-selling on-camera microphones, the VideoMic GO II offers superb sound quality while being very simple to use, but it also has a few new tricks up its sleeve that make it extremely powerful and versatile.

PROFESSIONAL AUDIO WITH EASE The VideoMic GO II makes capturing professional-quality audio simple. It features the same revolutionary acoustic design as the VideoMic NTG and NTG5 professional shotgun microphones, which utilises RØDE’s innovative annular line tube technology to deliver unmatched transparency and rich, full-bodied sound that enchances the audio quality of any device it is connected to. The VideoMic GO II runs off plug-in or USB power, meaning no batteries are required to operate, and with no complicated switches or controls, it is incredibly simple to use, allowing creators to just pick it up, plug it in and go.

ONE MIC FOR EVERY DEVICE Like all RØDE VideoMics, the VideoMic GO II features a 3.5mm TRS output and is an excellent solution for filmmakers and content creators in need of a compact, easy-to-use microphone for capturing high-quality audio with a camera.

It also features a USB-C output for plugging directly into smartphones, tablets and computers – a highly innovative feature also found on the VideoMic NTG. This ground-breaking patent-pending technology unlocks huge creative potential, making the VideoMic GO II suitable for everything from creating content for TikTok on a smartphone to recording a podcast on a computer. When used in USB mode, the 3.5mm port functions as a headphone output for zero-latency audio monitoring and playback, essentially turning the VideoMic GO II into a fully-featured USB mic.

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•

KEY FEATURES OF THE VIDEOMIC GO II:

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Revolutionary acoustic design, first introduced with the VideoMic NTG and NTG5 shotgun microphones – delivers unmatched transparency and rich, full-bodied sound

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3.5mm TRS output for use with cameras and USB-C output for use with smartphones, tablets and computers

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Ultra-lightweight (just 89 grams) and compact, making it highly portable and useful in a wide range of content creation applications

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Incredibly easy to use – no batteries required and no complicated switches or controls

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Compatible with RØDE apps for accessing advanced features, powerful audio processing, and studio-quality recording on any device

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Designed and made in RØDE’s state-of-the-art facilities in Sydney, Australia

SUPERCHARGED WITH USB POWER The ability to connect the VideoMic GO II to a smartphone, tablet or computer via USB not only opens up a world of creative possibilities for users but also unlocks access to supercharged features via the RØDE app suite: RØDE Connect, RØDE Central and RØDE Reporter.

RØDE Central is a handy desktop and mobile companion app that gives users access to advanced features, including a high-pass filter, high-frequency boost, pad, and complete control over the input level and headphone output level.

To find out more and to purchase the VideoMic GO II head over to: www.rode.com Why not follow RØDE on their socials: Facebook: @rodemic Instagram: @rodemic Twitter: @rodemicrophones TikTok: @rodemic YouTube: @RodeMic

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the gamer guide are officially sponsored by

We are so incredibly excited to announce that RODE have officially sponsored The Gamer Guide! They sent us some amazing gear that we cannot wait to use for our video content, and for our brand new podcast that will be launching later this year!

Thank you so much to RODE for sponsoring us, we feel incredibly honoured to have such a fantastic opportunity to work with you!

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E3 2022 In Person Event Cancelled The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has announced that E3 won’t be held in person this year.

“Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022,” said the ESA statement. “We remain incredibly excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.”

When asked to clarify if there will be a digital show this year by GamesBeat, the ESA responded that it was “excited about the possibilities of an online event.”

E3 2020 was infamously cancelled due to the sudden spread of coronavirus during the early months of 2020, despite the ESA having earlier said that the show was moving “full speed ahead” despite concerns surrounding the pandemic. In the end, no show ended up taking place at all, either physically or digitally.

E3 2021 did go ahead, however, in the form of a three-day digital event, although not every publisher was on board. The cancellation of E3 in 2020 also led to the creation of Summer Game Fest, by The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley. In the wake of the ESA’s announcement, Keighley has also confirmed that Summer Game Fest will be returning once again in 2022.

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Geoff Keighley, returned to the stage on the 9th December to host The Game Awards 2021. The ceremony was broadcast live from Los Angeles, where a packed audience cheered and whooped to another three-hour onslaught of game trailers. Highlights included a striking gameplay debut for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II and the surprise reveal of an Alan Wake sequel. Sonic Frontiers also made its bow with a beautiful Zelda-evoking trailer.

Pre-show treats included a new trailer for sci-fi adventure Planet of Lana, a March release date for Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and new footage from Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.

Here’s a quick recap of the big announcements from The Game Awards 2021.

The Game Awards 2021 Announcements •

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II – First gameplay footage of Ninja Theory’s visually impressive sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. It’s coming to Xbox Game Pass, but no release date was announced.

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Star Wars: Eclipse – Another visually spectacular trailer, this time for a new Star Wars game set during the High Republic era. Alas, it’s from Quantic Dream, which makes a mockery of Geoff’s opening appeal for an end to abuse in the workplace.

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Wonder Woman – A teaser trailer for Wonder Woman, who is getting a long-overdue AAA treatment from Monolith and Warner Bros.

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Alan Wake II – A spooky trailer for Alan Wake II, now in development at Remedy Entertainment.

Sam Lake pitches it as a survival horror experience rather than an action-adventure. It’s due for release in 2023.

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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – A bit of a blur.

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Horizon Forbidden West – A fresh look at gameplay from Guerrilla’s highly anticipated PlayStation game.

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Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade – The PC edition of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will be released on December 16, 2021

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Destiny: The Witch Queen – A first look at Bungie’s upcoming “take back the light” expansion for Destiny 2. It’s due on February 2, 2022.

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Slitterhead – A new action horror game from Keiichiro Toyama’s Bokeh Studios. Be careful how you say it.

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Nightingale – Quirky monsters, dimensional portals, and habitat building come together in this new survival crafting game from Inflexion Games.

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Somerville – Another look at Jump ship’s striking sci-fi adventure. It lands on PC and Xbox in 2022.

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Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course DLC for MDHR’s Cuphead is incoming.

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Sonic Frontiers – The latest 3D Sonic game channels The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and races onto consoles and PC in late 2022.

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Nightmare Alley – The trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s latest movie receives an apologetic introduction from Geoff’s absentee friend, Hideo Kojima.

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Tchia – A new trailer for Awaceb’s sun-kissed “soul-jumping” open-world adventure.

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – A suitably chaotic gameplay reveal for Rocksteady’s upcoming open-world actioner. It’s not Batman: Arkham Asylum, that’s for sure. Coming to PC. PS5, and Xbox Series X|S next year.

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Forspoken – Another showing for Luminous Productions’ intriguing – but generic – action RPG. It’s out in May 2022.

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Saber Interactive is developing this much-desired Space Marine sequel.

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Saints Row – A trip to Santo Ileso beacons in Volition’s franchise revamp. Gameplay footage suggests more of the same, with a little more gloss. That’s no bad thing, and it’s coming to PC and console on August 23, 2022.

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Dune Spice Wars – Shiro Games is making a 4X strategy game based on the boring book.

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Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands – I was making a cup of tea while this story trailer was showing. Sounded gnarly.

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Among Us VR – A teaser for a surprising new version of Innersloth’s hit imposter game.

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Genshin Impact – New characters are on the way to miHoYo’s smash hit action RPG.

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Star Trek Resurgence – Boldly go and play this new narrative-focused Star Trek adventure from Dramatic Labs, a new studio founded by former Telltale developers.

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Rumbleverse – Knockabout fun from Iron Galaxy and Epic Games.

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A Plague Tale: Requiem – New footage and story details for Asobo Studio’s upcoming sequel.

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Dying Light 2 – Another new story trailer, this time for Techland’s long in development open-world zombie parkour extravaganza. Coming February 2022.

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Crossfire – More gameplay from the tactical shooter developed by Remedy and Smilegate. I returned to my tea during this one.

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GTFO – Surprise! The 1.0 version of co-op horror shooter GTFO is now available to buy on Steam.

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Halo: The Series – The first look trailer for the live-action Halo TV series coming to Paramount+ in 2022.

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Elden Ring – Another trailer for From Software’s collaboration with George R.R. Martin. It’s out on PC and console on February 25, 2022.

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Arc Raiders – The visually resplendent free-to-play coop shooter from Embark Studios gets a jaunty new showcase.

Although the main focus of The Game Awards is to deliver an avalanche of trailers and advertisements, some of this year’s best video games did receive a few precious seconds in the spotlight. In many respects, it was a night of surprises. It Takes Two was the winner of the coveted Game of the Year award, as well as Best Family Game.Ember Lab’s Kena: Bridge of Spirits was the recipient of the Best Indie and Best Debut Indie awards, and the excellent Returnal won Best Action Game.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy was another surprise winner, picking up the Best Narrative prize.

Metroid Dread won the award for Best Action-Adventure Game. Elsewhere, Forza Horizon 5 won Best Audio Design, Best Sports/Racing Game, and the Innovation in Accessibility award. Here’s the full list of nominees and winners.

The Game Awards 2021 Winners Game of the Year: It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA) Best Game Direction: Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda) Best Ongoing: Final Fantasy XIV Online (SQUARE ENIX) Best Indie: Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab) Best Debut Indie: Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab) Best Narrative: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal/SQUARE ENIX) Best Art Direction: Deathloop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda) Best Score and Music: NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 (Keiichi Okabe, Composer) Best Audio Design: Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios) Best Performance: Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu, Resident Evil Village Games for Impact: Life is Strange: True Colours (Deck Nine/SQUARE ENIX) Best Community Support: Final Fantasy XIV Online (SQUARE ENIX) Best Mobile Game: Genshin Impact (MiHoYo) Best VR/AR: Resident Evil 4 (Armature Studio/Capcom/Oculus Studios) Best Action: Returnal (Housemarque/SIE) Best Action/Adventure: Metroid Dread (Mercury Steam/Nintendo) Best Role Playing: Tales of Arise (Bandai Namco) Best Fighting: Guilty Gear -Strive- (Arc System Works) Best Family: It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA) Best Sports/Racing: Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios) Best Sim/Strategy: Age of Empires IV (Relic Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios) Best Multiplayer: It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA) Most Anticipated: Elden Ring (From Software/Bandai Namco) Innovation in Accessibility: Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios) Content Creator of the Year: Dream Best Esports Game: League of Legends (Riot Games) Best Esports Athlete: Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev Best Esports Team: Natus Vincere (CS:GO) Best Esports Coach: Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun Best Esports Event: 2021 League of Legends World Championship So that’s wrap it up for The Game Awards it was great to see a physical events and all these amazing games showcase we cant wait for next years.

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What was TGG’s Game of The Year?

With the Game Awards having happened in December, it got The Gamer Guide team thinking...

What was our game of the year? Read on to find out what we each thought was our most memorable game in 2021!

Brandon Sawyer - Content Director Game of The Year - Halo Infinite My TGG Game of the year has to go to the almighty Halo Infinite, although it was late to the party with a surprise multiplayer beta launch on the 15th November 2021 which took us all by storm I just immediately fell in love with it, The game just felt right it felt just like the good old days, it may of brought out some rages but it was super fun to play with old and new friends, The game then made its debut and launch on the 8th December 2021 where I finally got a chance to play the all new amazing campaign, obviously we jumped straight in and went with Solo Legendary, as tough as it was I loved every minute, challenging yes! rewarding very much so, we then went on to beat the game on Legendary with all skulls activated oh that was even more of a challenge but 343 really have outdone themselves with this campaign and multiplayer, it really brought back all the memories of my youth playing the original Three games.

Completing the fantastic story, hitting Onyx in Ranked Arena, over 1000 Multiplayer matches played, thousands of kills a bunch of dubs, Level 100 battle pass reached and uncountable played hours this game takes the crown for me, If you haven’t had the chance why not check out my full in-depth review featured in this issue and I will be sure to see you all on the battlefield.

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Cal Howie - Operations Director Game of The Year - Forza Horizon 5 With lots of great games coming out this year, I have found it quite hard to pick just one. I have been looking at something that kept me engaged for more than a night of gaming and actually a few weeks/months.

With that being said I have to say that Forza Horizon 5 is my pick as it is a complete masterpiece. I was going to say from start to finish but I still have hundreds of things to do in the game and it has kept me engaged. The only wish I had would be to be able to play it with a steering wheel, however, I haven’t been able to get a steering wheel due to a lot of the Logitech and Thrustmaster ones being out of my price range but I do hope to acquire one in future.

With Forza Horizon 5 as I said it looks incredible as Forza does every release and the ForzaTech Engine really does do the cars and scenery justice. The playability again is amazing as every release and I have found drifting a lot easier this time around.

All-round I have been amazed at the quality of Forza and how it kept me coming back for more. I’m currently working my way through the speedtraps, bonus boards, fast travel boards, and the danger signs. I would definitely recommend it if you have yet to play and the fact that it is on Xbox Games Pass makes it even better.

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Emily Welfare - Creative Director Game of The Year - Resident Evil: Village Choosing my game of the year was pretty tough, as I had played quite a few new titles in the indie realm this year. But I have to say that Resident Evil: Village really stuck with me and will have to take its place at the top!

Though I will admit I am slightly biased with the fact that I am a huge Resident Evil fan, I also truly think that RE8 was a fantastic addition to the series and one that will continue to be memorable in amongst the bunch for years to come. I had my reservations about Resident Evil taking a firstperson approach when RE7 was announced, but was pleasantly surprised by how amazing it was, so when I saw that RE8 was taking the same route in terms of gameplay, I was extremely excited.

I actually think that the mechanics of the game were vastly improved in this one, with the combat and movement being much more responsive, and the inventory system taking on the organisation element that RE4 had.

Everything about the game appealed to me when it came to aesthetic, characters (all hail Lady Dimitrescu) and the overall turn towards ‘vampires’ and ‘werewolves’. I felt like Capcom really wanted to experiment with something a little different this time around, and in my eyes it was extremely successful.

Overall I absolutely loved this game, and still go back and play it to this day. I find it has great replayability with all of the secrets, difficulties and extra modes you can play, and I’m very much looking forward to whatever the DLC brings to the table!

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Josh Hyland Game of The Year - Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy 2021 provided some fantastic releases that captured the gaming world, including Resident Evil: Village, the fantastic update and releases on Phasmophobia, Halo Infinite, A Pirate’s Life (Sea of Thieves update), and much much more.

Personally, I was super excited to dive into the cinematically epic Guardians of The Galaxy. Ever since it was announced, I have been counting down the days and hoping that I had not set the bar too high from watching the trailers and sneak peeks. I was not! With Eidos-Montreal developing the game and with Square Enix publishing the game it already had the potential of being a hit, that is if you ignore Square Enix’s last Marvel published game… “Marvel’s Avengers”.

For me, Guardians of The Galaxy scores impressively high. I was inevitably going to compare this to Marvel’s Avengers which in my opinion didn’t score very high. I was pleased to find that given my excitement of GOTG being released, it was matched with the excitement of playing the game, and experiencing a fantastic culmination of characters, storyline, soundtrack and gameplay. This is something I didn’t experience with Marvel’s Avengers, so GOTG definitely secured a win there!

For future development, I would have loved to have control of the other Guardians, not just Star-Lord, and maybe throw in additional missions to choose from after completing the main story line. This obviously would have taken a leaf out of the Avengers game, but would have certainly been a bonus if it had been implemented in GOTG. The only negatives for me were the slight glitches here and there, and the amount of consumption even at low settings which hindered the ability to live stream, but apart from that, it scored top marks!

All in all, I would give Guardians of The Galaxy 8/10 for a fantastic approach to some well loved characters, an encaptivating storyline, superb soundtrack, and epic gameplay.

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An Insight to what is coming to playstation in 2022 The first full year of the PS5 was a busy one, with exclusives, firmware updates, and studio acquisitions, and sustained support for the PS4 through new, cross-gen releases. While it was a busy year for PlayStation, 2022 is looking to be even busier, as delays pushed some of Sony’s biggest exclusives as well as major third-party releases into the new year. There’s also a question of when PlayStation’s nextgen PSVR will be announced, and how Sony will approach events. Let’s have a look ahead to what’s in store for PlayStation in 2022.

Exclusives for 2022 PlayStation has normally been the one for exclusives, from its internal studios, which has recently expanded, to its launch exclusives from various third-parties.

2021 was no stranger to these exclusives, but 2022 is bringing with it some long-awaited sequels to some of PlayStation’s biggest franchises. From PlayStation Studios teams, we’re expecting God of War Ragnarök the followup to 2018’s redefinition of the long-running series, Horizon Forbidden West the first proper sequel to Guerrilla Games’ open-world 2017 hit, and Gran Turismo 7, the next numbered entry in the racing mainstay that only saw one game through the PS4’s lifetime. All three will launch on both PS4 and PS5, ensuring that players who loved their predecessors can still play them on PS4 while everyone who’s managed to find a PS5 amid continued stock shortages and scalpers can play them on the newest hardware.

We’ve gotten decent looks at all three games, but right now Ragnarök remains without a firm release date. Forbidden West is set for February 18 and Gran Turismo will hit March 4. Early 2022 will also see a remastered release of Uncharted 4 and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy for PS5, and there are of some big projects we know that are in the works, like Naughty Dog’s upcoming multiplayer game, seemingly spun off of work 42

on The Last of Us Part 2’s originally planned multiplayer mode, Pixelopus’ collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation, and more.

That leaves much of the calendar year open for PlayStation to surprise us with other releases, particularly after PlayStation’s acquisition spree in 2021. PlayStation added four studios during the year - Bluepoint, Housemarque, Firesprite, and Nixxes. And while some of those studios just released games and likely won’t have new projects ready for 2022, we’ll likely learn what they’re up to during any of the major PlayStation showcases next year. 2022 will also see a few console launch exclusives from third parties, like Square Enix’s big new RPG series Forspoken, coming next spring, and Ghostwire Tokyo, Tango Gameworks’ first-person adventure that will still be hitting PS5 first despite the fact the developers are now owned by Xbox. 2022 will also see indie exclusives that have been mainstays of PlayStation showcases, like the Annapurna Interactive-published Stray, and Absolver developer Sloclap’s kung-fu fighter Sifu, though it’s unclear if other indie highlights like Little Devil Inside will also hit in 2022.

Multiplatform Games 2021 saw a number of multiplatform third parties delay their biggest games into 2022, and while it’s certainly likely we’ll see delays into 2023, there is currently a lot scheduled for next year.

Rainbow Six Extraction, Dying Light 2, Elden Ring, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, and, somehow, GTA V are all multiplatform games coming to PS4 and/ or PS5 in just the first quarter of 2022. Beyond that, there are some nebulous release dates, but the list of potential heavy hitters goes on. And it seems some publishers are gearing up for 2022 to be a particularly major year after relatively quiet publishing windows.

Warner Bros Games, after years of not much to offer, has no less than four potential games launching in 2022, including LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Hogwarts Legacy, Gotham Knights, and Suicide Squad Kills the Justice League. GTA publisher 2K is planning 60 games between 2022 and 2024, including 23 “immersive core” games which means big games like GTA and their very popular sports games.

Again it’s likely we’ll see delays for some of these games, as well as surprise announcements, annual releases, and continued support of ongoing, live-service games that will only add to 2022’s potentially massive and packed release schedule.

Hardware and Services PlayStation hasn’t officially announced any plans for major hardware changes or releases in 2022.

And while it’s still facing a big problem of simply getting enough PS5’s out there to meet demand, producing more of its latest console will most likely be the biggest focus. That doesn’t mean we may not see additional consoles or accessories, we’ve already gotten a couple of DualSense and Pulse headset variants and Sony ended the year by announcing even more colours and the firstever new PS5 faceplates. Now you can swap your white PS5 siding for red, pink, blue, black, and purple options.

But the biggest question we have is what PlayStation plans to do with its next VR headset, which we’ll just be referring to as PSVR 2.

PlayStation confirmed its next-gen VR headset was in the works just a few months after the PS5’s launch, already showing off its new controllers, though not the headset itself. Though that may change soon. Reports in 2021 suggested PSVR 2 could be primed for a holiday 2022 launch, six years after the first PSVR debuted. Other reports have hinted at the technical and game focus PlayStation is 43

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allegedly taking with the new hardware. On the former, UploadVR reported early in 2021 that PSVR 2 will use 4K resolution display, a massive step up from the original headset, eye tracking, and haptic feedback in the headset itself to complement the controllers, which PlayStation has confirmed will use the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers of the DualSense, along with finger tracking for improved gameplay.And as for PSVR 2 games, PlayStation has reportedly told developers that its focus is on console-quality AAA games with hybrid gameplay offerings, allowing them to be played both in and out of VR. Backward compatibility remains unconfirmed as well but reports also claim Sony will reveal launch details of the new headset early in 2022, so hopefully it’s not too long before we find out what’s in store.

And a new report also suggests that PlayStation is shaking up its services in a bid to compete with Xbox’s Game Pass. PlayStation has previously indicated it would have plans on bolstering its subscription service, and a new report from Bloomberg may give us a sense of what’s on the way. Sony is allegedly planning a three-tier program, the first being your standard PS Plus, the next coming PS Plus with the capabilities of streaming service PlayStation Now, and a third tier that would include perks like extended demos, game streaming, and games from way back in the PlayStation console library. It remains unconfirmed for now, Sony could be planning a big shift to its current services.

Events One of the biggest questions about PlayStation’s presence in 2022 is what their event rollout will look like. PlayStation decided to stop attending E3 back in 2019, before the pandemic cancelled all events in 2020, and it decided not to return to the show in its digital version in 2021. Events could of course look much different next year but so far PlayStation hasn’t announced any plans to or not to attend major shows like E3 and Gamescom. Regardless, we’ll probably continue to see PlayStation lean into its State of Play showcase which most commonly has been used to show off third-party releases, exclusives, and indies. Occasionally State of Play has focused on major releases, like Horizon Forbidden West.

PlayStation may decide to stick to the pattern it established in the last two years. The two big ones in 2020 revealed the first PS5 games, major first-party releases, and details like the PS5’s launch date and price. And 2021’s showcase included both third party and major first- party reveals, like the KOTOR remake and Insomniac’s Wolverine, respectively. Rather than returning to E3, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see PlayStation host another showcase or two on its own timetable. And that is just about everything we currently expect from PlayStation in 2022.

There are plenty of questions, like official word of PlayStation’s VR plans, what’s going on with its recently ramped up focus on PC ports and an interest in mobile games, plus much more.

But it’s clear there is plenty of potential exciting PlayStation news and releases for PS4 and PS5 owners to look forward to in 2022.

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PSVR 2 PlayStation has started off 2022 with news on their next generation virtual reality system for the PS5 console, starting with the official name: PlayStation VR2, and their new VR controller, PlayStation VR2 Sense controller.

PlayStation VR2 takes VR gaming to a whole new level, enabling a greater sense of presence and allowing players to escape into game worlds like never before. With the headset on and controllers in hand, players will feel a heightened range of sensations unlike any other, thanks to the creativity of the game worlds being built by PlayStations class developers and the latest technology incorporated into the hardware.

Building upon PlayStations innovations from PS5, PlayStation VR2 adds a true next-gen experience with high-fidelity visuals, new sensory features, and enhanced tracking along with a simplified single-cord setup.

•

Visual Fidelity: For a high-fidelity visual experience, PS VR2 offers 4K HDR, 110-degree field of view, and foveated rendering. With an OLED display, players can expect a display resolution of 2000×2040 per eye and smooth frame rates of 90/120Hz.

•

Headset-based Controller Tracking: With inside-out tracking, PS VR2 tracks you and your controller through integrated cameras embedded in the VR headset. Your movements and the direction you look at are reflected in-game without the need for an external camera.

•

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New Sensory Features: PS VR2 Sense Technology combines eye tracking, headset feedback, 3D Audio, and the innovative PS VR2 Sense controller to create an incredibly deep feeling of immersion. Headset feedback is a new sensory feature that amplifies the sensations of in-game actions from the

player. It’s created by a single built-in motor with vibrations that add an intelligent tactile element, bringing players closer to the gameplay experience. For example, gamers can feel a character’s elevated pulse during tense moments, the rush of objects passing close to the character’s head, or the thrust of a vehicle as the character speeds forward. Additionally, PS5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech makes sounds in the player’s surroundings come alive, adding to this new level of immersion.

•

Eye Tracking: With eye tracking, PS VR2 detects the motion of your eyes, so a simple look in a specific direction can create an additional input for the game character.

This allows players to interact more intuitively in new and lifelike ways, allowing for a heightened emotional response and enhanced expression that provide a new level of realism in gaming.

All of these advancements in PlayStation VR2, combined with the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers from the PS VR2 Sense controllers, enable players to feel and interact with games in a much more visceral way. PS VR2 will also have a simple setup process with a single cable connected directly to PS5, you can immediately jump into the VR experience.

PlayStation were also pleased to reveal that one of the biggest exclusive franchises on PlayStation will be coming to PS VR2 – Horizon Call of the Mountain from Guerrilla and Firesprite.

This original game is being built specifically for PS VR2 and will open the doors for players to go deeper into the world of Horizon.

Just remember, this is only a taste of things to come for PlayStation, and we can’t wait to share more details about PS VR2 when they become available. In the meantime, below is the list of official specifications.

Playstation VR2 Specifications Display Method

OLED

Panel Resolution

2000 x 2040 Per Eye

Panel Refresh Rate

90hz & 120hz settings

Lens Separation

Adjustable

Field of View

Approx. 110 Degrees

Sensors Motion Sensor: Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyropscope, three-axis accelerometer)

Attachment Sensor: IR Proxoimity Sensor Cameras 4 cameras for headset and controller tracking IR camera for eye traking per eye Feedback

Vibration on headset

Communication with PS5 USB Type-C® Audio

Input: Built-in microphone - Output: Stereo heaphone jack

Playstation VR2 Sense Controllers Specifications Buttons [Right]

PS button, Options button, Action buttons (Circle/Cross), R1 button, R2

button. Right Stick/R3 button Sensing/Tracking Motion Sensor: Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope+ three-axis accelerometer)

Capacitive Sensor: Finger Touch Detection IR LED: Position Tracking Feedback Trigger Effect (on R2/L2 button), Haptic Feedback (by single actuator per unit) Port USB Type-C® Port Communication

Bluetooth® Ver5.1

Battery

Type: Built-in Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery

Written by: Brandon Sawyer 48

An Insight to what is coming to xbox in 2022 With the one-year anniversary of the Xbox Series X and S consoles and 20th birthday of the Xbox brand Microsoft has had a lot to celebrate towards the end of 2021. With a jam-packed 2022 ahead it’s easy to see why they’d want to keep the celebration going. Here’s what to expect from Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios over the next 12 months.

Xbox does have games One way to keep momentum going is to focus on what gave Microsoft such a strong ending to 2021 - great games. And one element of the 2022 slate will be continuing support for those great games from 2021.

Halo is back and arguably better than ever, but the most exciting thing about Infinite is that it’s only getting started. There’s so much more to come from Halo developer 343 in 2022, including the eagerly anticipated addition of co-op to the campaign, as well as fan favourite Forge mode.

Multiplayer will of course be receiving regular updates, whether that be new maps, modes, or further improvements to the battle pass progression system that has been the only real mark against its name up until this point.

Forza Horizon 5 saw over 10 million players racing around in Playground’s stunning depiction of Mexico within a week of its launch. The studio has a great track record of supplying a steady stream of high-quality DLC to previous Horizons so we can definitely expect to see some of that in the coming months.

Then there’s Bethesda, that big company Microsoft bought for $7.5 billion in March of 2021. Two Bethesda Xbox exclusives are currently scheduled for 2022, Redfall and Starfield. Redfall is an open-world co-op vampire shooter from Arkane, who will be eager to replicate the critical acclaim it received for 2021 Game of the Year contender, Deathloop. A 49

A departure from the studio’s traditional singleplayer campaign focussed past, Redfall will be a new challenge for Arkane to wrestle with, but with a history of creating some of the most mechanically sound and smartly designed games in recent memory, there’s no reason to doubt the studio.

Starfield is Bethesda Games Studios first new series in 25 years. A sprawling odyssey that director Todd Howard has himself described as “Skyrim in Space”. Currently slated for a November 11, 2022 release, we actually know very little about what we’ll be doing in Starfield, and that’s partly what makes it so exciting.

Howard has teased us with being able to explore the great unknown, offering unparalleled freedom and going as far as calling it “the biggest most epic science fiction thing you could possibly imagine”. If Starfield lives up to all that it could be, then Xbox might have their biggest exclusive to date on their hands.

Back in the world of Forza, perhaps we’ll see the return of its older, more sensible brother in 2022.

Revealed at the 2020 Xbox Games Showcase, a soft reboot of Forza Motorsport from Turn 10 Studios could be ready to take its place on the starting grid towards the end of this coming year. Built from the ground up for the Series X and S consoles, it’s sure to be a treat for the eyes if the in-engine trailer is anything to go by.

As for other things that look visually stunning; Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Ninja Theory’s followup to the critically acclaimed Senua’s Sacrifice,

looks to be taking full advantage of Epic’s Unreal Engine 5. With gameplay recently shown off at The Game Awards, the signs are encouraging that development is progressing well. Again, another game we’re hoping to play in 2022, but just don’t know at this point.

Let’s get onto some of the games that we’ll be surprised if they don’t drop in the next 12 months.

Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl is currently slated for an April 28th release. The first in the series of four games to be released on consoles, Stalker 2 will bring along with it a legion of devoted fans of the cult original. This game is sure to be one of the more tense games coming out in 2022.

Battling Stalker for the award looking game is Scorn, an H.R. biopunk adventure. Originally release in 2021, delays have October 2022.

for grimmest Giger inspired scheduled to forced it into

Xbox also have lined up a free-to-play multiplayer which is fairly similar to Counter-Strike and developed by Korean developers Smilegate, they also promise a single-player campaign designed

by Max Payne and Control creators Remedy from Finland, CrossfireX has a uniquely crosscontinental flavour. CrossfireX could emerge as a surprise hit for Xbox when it drops as soon as February. When Rare isn’t spending time constantly improving and adding unexpected

treats to Sea of Thieves, it’s busy making Everwild.

A uniquely stunning looking proposition, it’s still largely shrouded in mystery. Revealed well over 2 years ago now, maybe 2022 is the time we get a proper look at what secrets Everwild holds and maybe even get to play it. With rumours swirling that the development has been difficult though and a 2023 release may be more likely, we’ll hold our breath for now.

Somerville is an upcoming mystery platformer from new studio Jumpship, created by former Playdead co-founder Dino Patti. With plenty of pedigree coming from working on indie classics such as Limbo and Inside, Somerville promises something similar. Tunic is a delightful looking adventure where you play as a fox on a magical quest. It’s unsurprisingly drawn many Legend of Zelda comparisons not least because both heroes wear a green outfit, hold a sword and solve puzzles. Then there’s Nobody Saves the World from the traditionally PlayStation-aligned Drinkbox Studios. A top-down dungeon crawler containing all the charm and character you’d expect from the people behind the Guacamelee! games.

ALL of these games will be finding their way to Xbox Game Pass too, undeniably the best deal in gaming at this point, and these are all just the Xbox console exclusives coming next year.

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Hardware & Services To play some of these games you’ll need to be in possession of either an Xbox Series X or S. Something that has not been the easiest thing to do since those consoles launched. Console shortages are no new thing in the games industry, especially so soon after the launch of a new generation, but this time around they’ve been harder than ever to get hold of. Component shortages and the ever-developing pandemic have of course offered unprecedented challenges. xCloud is here to save the day, Xbox Cloud Gaming allows PC, phone and tablet users to get a taste of the Xbox action without actually having to own a console. Recently added as a service to any Game Pass Ultimate subscription, it really does mean you can play all of the games mentioned earlier without even owning a console in 2022. One thing we’re unlikely to see from Xbox anytime soon though is the introduction to

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NFTs within gaming. In a recent interview with Axios, Phil Spencer described Non-Fungible Tokens in games as something that “feels more exploitative than about entertainment”. While big publishers such as Ubisoft and EA may well be heading in this direction, it feels safe to say we won’t be seeing any Xbox related NFTs on the Xbox Store in 2022.

With a bunch of great looking games on the way and so many audience-friendly services, 2022 is shaping up to be a great time to be an Xbox player. Beyond all of this, the future is looking bright for Xbox and its stable full of impressive studios. On the horizon are Fable, Avowed, The Outer Worlds 2, State of Decay 3, Perfect Dark, Indiana Jones, and The Elder Scrolls 6. It would certainly be a surprise if any of these were to come out in the next year, but the promise of seeing more of them is exciting enough. And that’s maybe the best thing about being an Xbox player right now; it just doesn’t look like that excitement is going to be ending any time soon.

What is Xbox game pass?

So you’ve just recently picked up an Xbox or was lucky enough to get one for Christmas and you’ve seen a few things around the web or in the shops about Microsoft’s world famous subscription service called Xbox Game Pass and its promise of hundreds of games that you can download straight to your hard drive. But what is Xbox Game Pass? and what is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate? Or Xbox Game Pass for PC? (Now called PC Game Pass) It can be a little confusing to the outsider. We’re here to let you know what it all means and, ultimately how Xbox Game Pass works as a service.

Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service for games, It exists alongside other similar subscriptions such as Sony’s PlayStation Now. It also used to exist alongside EA Access until this service was renamed EA Play and brought under the Xbox Game Pass banner in 2021 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. You have access to all of the games in the Xbox Game Pass service and can download them all but unfortunately you can’t stream them all, only some are capable of streaming and playing straight away without downloading thanks to Xbox and their new Cloud Gaming software which also allows you to play some of these great games via your mobile devices.

Downloading titles isn’t really a bad price to pay for all of the games you have at your fingertips in Game Pass, including both Xbox Game Studios games and games from external studios.

most recently Zenimax Media who brought along studios like Bethesda and Machine Games come straight to Xbox Game Pass on release. Microsoft announces new titles each month, along with those which are leaving, and there’s nearly always a few surprise additions mid-month.

How does Xbox Game Pass work?

On top of the hundreds of games already in Xbox Game Pass, there are several new titles that are added every month, with a few other titles gradually being rotated out as the new ones arrive. Once you’re a Game Pass member, you can see all of the titles available to download, under the “Ready to install” and “Game Pass” tabs. It is a bit overwhelming at first and you might spend the first few times flicking through all of the games available in an attempt to choose what one to try first. Once you’ve taken the plunge and picked a few, you can download them into your library, and once downloaded, they’ll show up under “My games and apps”. You’ll then have access to the game for the entirety of its time on the Xbox Game Pass service. There’s a “Leaving Game Pass soon” tab to help you keep track of what might be leaving, and we make sure to publish articles each time games are leaving the service. Once they’re gone, they can’t be loaded unless you then purchase the game from the Microsoft Store.

What games can I get with it?

What other benefits are there to Xbox Game Pass subscribers?

Xbox Game Pass usually has hundreds of Xbox games including a lot of Xbox 360 backwards compatible games. Xbox’s big exclusives are included, such as Sea of Thieves, and the Gears and Halo franchises. Games from Microsoft’s ever growing Xbox Game Studios, such as Ninja Theory, Double Fine, Playground Games and

An Xbox Game Pass subscription also gets you member discounts and deals. So if you’re playing a game through the service and decide to buy it for yourself, to keep even if it leaves Xbox Game Pass (or if you unsubscribe), you’ll be able to do so at a discount of up to 20% off, or up to 10% off DLCs.

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How much does Xbox Game Pass cost?

What about Xbox Game Pass for PC?

Xbox Game Pass usually costs £7.99/$9.99 per month, or £10.99/$14.99 per month for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (£32.99/$44.99 every three months). However, Microsoft is currently offering a deal where you can get three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for £1/$1, which is 91% off and 93% off respectively.

Xbox Game Pass for PC is much the same as Xbox Game Pass. It offers over 100 PC games on Windows 10, The only difference tends to be the games released for the service each month.

Usually, they’re available for both Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass for PC, with just one or two changes and occasionally a title is only available for one or the other. Xbox Game Pass for PC costs the same per month as Xbox Game Pass but has an introductory price of $1 per month.

What is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate?

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate combines Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass for PC, and Xbox Live Gold into one bundle, along with the entire EA Play catalogue alongside a few perks for dlc and money off other things like Spotify. It also means that there’s a plan for everyone and for those who want to be able to choose a plan to fit what they want to play on specifically, or for those who want everything at once instead of buying it separately, so that they have access to Xbox Game Pass on console and PC, as well as Live Gold. Live Gold has a value of £6.99 a month and gives access to the online multiplayer network. So if you just want access to the Game Pass games on your Xbox, you can get Xbox Game Pass. If you want to be able to access Game Pass on both console and PC and have access to the online benefits of Xbox Live Gold, you can get them all together in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. There are a number of benefits to Xbox Live Gold including free games every month.

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Summary Xbox Game Pass gets you hundreds of Xbox and Xbox 360 backwards compatible games for a monthly fee with new games added every month. If you just want access to those games on console, Xbox Game Pass might be the best one. However, if you also want access to Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass for PC, and the EA Play catalogue then Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the best bundle and let’s not forget about the perks with ultimate also.

The benefits included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate do tie in with each other so for instance, Sea of Thieves is included in Xbox Game Pass, but requires an Xbox Live Gold membership. If you’re not sure about Ultimate, you can make use of the current offer and try it out for one month for $1.

What is designed for xbox?

If you’ve been eyeing up a new accessory for your Xbox console or received one for Christmas and have wondered what exactly the Designed for Xbox sticker means then we’ve got you covered with this handy guide. The program is built to ensure that items with the sticker sufficiently reflect the quality assurance designated by Xbox engineers. We’ll delve into it more below.

What does the sticker mean?

Designed for Xbox is a program that third-party Xbox accessory companies can apply for and join that allows Xbox engineers to oversee the production of a particular accessory.

The accessory that’s being developed, be it headphones, displays, controllers, or more,

is then tested by Xbox engineers for quality purposes that check the product’s performance, safety, and security. It also means that the item is built for continuous compatibility across both Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One console generations.

What devices are compatible with Designed for Xbox accessories?

There are accessories in the Designed for Xbox program that are built for each of your Xbox supported devices, whether that be Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, tablet, or mobile.

The sticker doesn’t necessarily dictate the price of the accessory either, meaning there are products available to cater for all budgets.

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Brands and products We’ve compiled a list of the companies with Designed for Xbox products and what accessories they have on the market.

8BitDo Mobile, Remotes Acer Displays AirTurn Assistive Tech American Girl Toys Asus Displays Astro Headsets Audeze Headsets Axiim Audio Backbone Mobile Bang & Olufsen Headsets Cable Matters HDMI Controller Gear Charging, Protection Corsair Headsets Fanatec Racing Wheels Forza Designs Mounting Geek Made Designs Mounting GTR Simulator Racing Wheels Honeycomb Aeronautical Flight Sticks Hyperkin Controllers HyperX Charging, Controllers Hori Charging, Controllers, Headsets, Fighting Pads, Flight Sticks, Racing Wheels

Linksys Networking Logitec Assistive Tech LucidSound Headsets Nacon Controllers OtterBox Charging, Mobile PDP Gaming Charging, Controllers, Headsets, Remotes Philips Displays PowerA Charging, Controllers, Mobile Rack Solutions Mounting Razer Arcade Sticks, Controllers, Headsets, Mouse & Keyboard Scuf Gaming Controllers Seagate HDDs, SDDs SteelSeries Headsets Turtle Beach Controllers, Flight Sticks, Headsets Thrustmaster Controllers, Headsets, Flight Sticks, Racing Wheels Western Digital HDDs, SDDs Victrix Controllers, Headsets

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xbox acquires activision Blizzard On January 18th, 2022, Microsoft announced that it has “agreed to acquire” the Call of Duty and World of Warcraft publisher Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion.50.4K Xbox chief Phil Spencer broke the news over on Xbox Wire. Once the deal is finalised, Microsoft will welcome the teams from Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, Beenox, Demonware, Digital Legends, High Moon Studios, Infinity Ward, King, Major League Gaming, Radical Entertainment, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob, and Treyarch into the fold. The deal is expected to be finalised sometime during Microsoft’s fiscal 2023 year ending June 30th, 2023, if the acquisition meets the approval of regulators.

Microsoft will soon own and publish massive franchises such as Call of Duty, Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Guitar Hero, and Candy Crush. Microsoft will also bring as many Activision Blizzard games as it can to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, “both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalogue.” Spencer notes that Game Pass now has over 25 million subscribers. According to Spencer, the acquisition will also “accelerate our plans for Cloud Gaming, allowing more people in more places around the world to participate in the Xbox community using phones, tablets, laptops and other devices you already own.” The Xbox boss points out that Activision Blizzard games are on other platforms and that Microsoft is planning to continue to support those communities in the future.

Last summer, claims of widespread sexual harassment were levied against Activision Blizzard. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing brought a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for enabling and promoting a toxic workplace culture, which saw several high-profile developers and employees leave their positions at the company. Microsoft hasn’t commented on how it will deal with the issue, but Spencer says that until the transaction is finalised, Activision Blizzard and Microsoft will operate independently. Once the deal has gone through, Activision Blizzard will report to Spencer as CEO of Microsoft Gaming. In a separate statement, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said he will continue in his role at the company until the deal is finalised.

“As a company, Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players,” Spencer says. “We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.”

Written by: Brandon Sawyer

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AMD, intel & nvidia announcements Earlier this month, AMD, NVIDIA & Intel hosted their CES 2022 conferences, unveiling several next-gen CPU and GPU technologies so we are here to give you a recap of everything that happened during each respective show.

There were a lot of other announcements from other manufacturers and companies but we have to talk about what the big three (AMD/ Intel/NVIDIA)presented during their respective show cases.

AMD CES 2022 Product Line-up & Announcements AMD was the first to kick off its CES 2022 keynote with CEO, Dr. Lisa Su, presenting a host of new products from team Ryzen and team Radeon. First up, we have to talk about AMD’s latest Ryzen 6000 ‘Rembrandt’ APUs, powered by the 6nm Zen 3+ CPU and RDNA 2 GPU cores.

AMD launched a total of 13 new laptop APUs, featuring support for the latest interconnectivity and also delivering a lot of performance while being super-efficient at it. The line-up will be shipping in various laptops in February 2022.

Talking about CPUs, AMD also unveiled two new desktop launches for 2022, their Ryzen 3D V-Cache chip known as Ryzen 7 5800X3D with up to 8 Zen 3 cores and 96 MB of L3 cache which is coming to AM4 desktops in Spring 2022. But the biggest CPU update comes later this year in 2H 2022, in the form of Zen 4. The AMD Ryzen 7000 series was made official for the AM5 socket platform with PCIe Gen 5 & DDR5 support on a brand new LGA 1718 socket. A prototype was shown running at 5 GHz across all cores and running Halo Infinite.

AMD didn’t stop at just Ryzen, the Radeon team also delivered a whole slew of updates in the form of 6nm and 7nm RDNA 2 GPUs. The AMD 57

Radeon RX 6500 XT for $199 US & RX 6400 for $149 US will serve the entry-level masses on the desktop side while the Radeon RX 6000M XT & RX 6000S GPUs will handle mobility space.

The Radeon team also announced new Radeon Software updates in the form of the Radeon Super Resolution technology and a host of AMD Advantage features such as SmartShift MAX, Smart Shift MAX ECO, and Smart Access Graphics.

All AMD CES 2022 Official Announcements: • • • •

AMD Ryzen 6000 ‘Rembrandt’ APUs AMD Ryzen 7000 ‘Zen 4’ & Ryzen 5000 ‘Zen 3D’ CPUs AMD Radeon RX 6000, RX 6000M, RX 6000S GPUs AMD Radeon Software Updates

NVIDIA CES 2022 Product Line-up & Announcements NVIDIA went all out with its GeForce RTX announcements starting with the entry-level GeForce RTX 3050 for $249 US and the flagship GeForce RTX 3090 Ti graphics card which will feature an Ampere architecture enhanced for the ultra-enthusiast out there.

The green team also upgraded its laptop offerings with the launch of two new GeForce RTX 30 ‘Tic’ series GPUs, the RTX 3080 Ti (faster than the desktop Titan RTX) and the RTX 3070 Ti (70% faster vs RTX 2070 SUPER).

Both of these designs take a front seat in highend laptops in various notebooks. The new laptops will be featuring the 4th Generation of Max-Q technologies to offer the best of the best graphics performance within these laptop designs. NVIDIA also announced a range of new DLSS & RTX games, adding 10 more to its RTX suite and 7 new NVIDIA Reflex titles.

Written by: Brandon Sawyer

All NVIDIA CES 2022 Official Announcements:

All Intel CES 2022 Official Announcements:

• • • •

• •

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 ‘Ti’ Mobility GPUs NVIDIA GeForce RTX DLSS/Reflex/RT Titles

Intel CES 2022 Product Line-up & Announcements After a major comeback in the desktop department, Intel flexed its muscles even further on the laptop side of things. Alder Lake mobility CPUs were introduced in a ton of designs in both high-end Alder Lake-P and entry-level Alder Lake-M flavors.

Aside from that, Intel also unleashed its Non-K 12th Generation CPU SKUs for the desktop platform along with more mainstream 600-series chipsets such as the B660 and H670. A surprise reveal was the Core i9-12900KS, a 16 core chip that can boost up to 5.5 GHz and 5.2 GHz with all-core enabled. Pretty impressive!

Lastly, Intel also provided an update on its ARC Alchemist GPU family which will be coming in Q1 2022. The company unveiled that its XeSS AI-upsampling technology was coming to several AAA games including Death Stranding: Directors Cut.

• • •

Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Mobility CPUs Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Non-K Desktop CPUs Intel Core i9-12900KS 5.5 GHz CPU Intel 600-Series Mainstream Motherboards Intel ARC Alchemist Graphics Update

What a way these three major companies in the gaming and technology industry have started off 2022, there were Some serious big announcements which we can’t wait to find out more soon in the meantime check out AMD, Intel and Nvidia below for more updates about these products.

AMD: Welcome to AMD | High-Performance Processors and Graphics INTEL: Intel | Data Center Solutions, IoT, and PC Innovation NVIDIA: Artificial Intelligence Computing Leadership from NVIDIA

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Roughly around this time last year, Halo Infinite became meme material on the internet.

Microsoft’s triple-A, flagship title, the one game that was set to launch alongside their new powerhouse, the Xbox Series X, had become a laughing stock on the internet thanks to a Brute who went onto to be named Craig.

This was make or break for developer 343 Industries. After a solid start with Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians fell pretty much flat on its face – campaign-wise. In fact, if it wasn’t for the new multiplayer mode, Warzone, the game might have been dismissed outright. Here we are now, though, after a successful beta period for the multiplayer, and the mood has changed significantly. The big question ahead is: does the campaign match the lofty heights of its multiplayer portion? Is the campaign any good?

The short answer is yes, and no.

For the first time in the franchise’s history, Halo’s campaign has gone open-world. Kind of.

And when we say first time, we’re saying that fully acknowledging the brilliant Halo 3: ODST. Halo Infinite sees the prodigal son, Master Chief, return, this time for more than three missions. He’s all on his own, (as he probably should be), trying to stop the Banished – Halo Wars 2’s Covenant faction - from repairing Installation 7, AKA Zeta Halo, and unleashing hell upon the universe. Again. This is a straight up old-school fight between Master Chief and a familiar foe, in the form of a ragtag bunch of Grunts, Jackals, Hunters, and Elites (and a new winged beast). There isn’t a Promethean in sight, thankfully; and one thing is for certain, Halo Infinite’s story is leaps and bounds ahead of Halo 5’s. It’s coherent, its evocative, heck, it’s 59

even a little moving at times, and while nowhere near as good as Halo 3, ODST, and Reach, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable affair.

What I do find quite odd, is that 343 has opted to almost start from scratch for Halo Infinite, essentially pretending that Halo 5 never happened. No explanation of what happened to the Prometheans, no mention of the huge Guardians or anything - it’s almost a clean slate for the franchise. There are a lot of question marks in terms of key story beats as well, and huge revelations nonchalantly dropped throughout the story, which we hope 343 will elaborate on at some point, otherwise it’s definitely a missed opportunity.

The more open-world format of Halo Infinite means that this is Halo like you’ve never experienced, which is both good and bad. There are times that Halo Infinite feels so much like a Far Cry clone – in terms of mechanics – that it’s almost jarring. Taking down targets, liberating outposts - it’s all incredibly generic stuff from that perspective. But the truth is, because Halo has the tools in its arsenal – the weapons, the vehicles, the gadgets – liberating outposts and the like can be incredibly fun. The open-world format actually really suits Halo’s suite of tools.

Where the new structure lets down the Halo formula is in its set pieces. That’s not to say they don’t exist, because they do, but they’re few and far between now. When considering Halo is all about the set pieces usually, it’s a disappointing turn of events. A lot of Halo’s action sequences now occur organically – although there are some obviously manufactured moments. The

scenarios you’ll encounter here are a product of the emergent gameplay, meaning instead of you rocking across a bridge in a pre-placed Scorpion tank, this time you’ll call in a tank from a captured Forward Operating Base, or grapple and jack a patrolling Banshee.

The truth is every aspect of the open world has its pros and cons; and how people react to them will differ from one person to the next.

For instance, it’s a con that with the game being set exclusively on Zeta Halo, you do miss travelling the galaxy, visiting a whole host of really diverse locations, with Chief doing his thing – I really missed the city missions, for instance, whether that was visiting urban regions like New Alexandria, New Mombasa, and so forth. At the same time, being set in one location actually gives players a chance to explore the environment, get used to the environment, and more importantly, become attached to the environment. I do wish there were fewer ‘boss’ fights, although that’s been a problem with Halo for eons.

Gameplay-wise, there’s no disputing that with Infinite, Halo is in the best place it’s ever been in the entire franchise. And we’re not just talking about the minute-to-minute shooting here, which is absolutely fantastic, as always, but combined with the gadgets and new weapons, it’s simply a blast to play. Raiding bases is fun because the actual gameplay is sublime. Two of the biggest and most welcome changes, for me, come in the form of the new grappling hook (dubbed the ‘grapple shot’) and the way that 343 has approached ammo.

I have no issue in saying this, but the grapple shot is the best addition to the Halo franchise, possibly ever. And that’s not hyperbole either.

It not only an increase in mobility where the grapple shot shines but using it to jack vehicles and grab items is actually brilliant. And on top of that, you can use it to stagger Jackals with shields and grapple enemies themselves. It all plays into the emergent gameplay stuff we alluded to earlier and is at the core of the experience. Honestly, pulling weapons off weapon racks while staying in cover, or using it to grab Halo’s explosive barrels, to throw at enemies, are just a couple of the nonconventional ways to use the new grapple shot.

Sure, the other gadgets are great too, whether it’s the thrusters, the drop shield, or the radar beacons, but you’ll find yourself maining the grapple more often than not. And then there’s the ammo. kinetic, shock, plasma, and hard light – it now means you can use your favourite weapons for longer. Factor in the Grunt Mules, who drop a load of weapons when you kill them, and Halo no longer has an ammo problem. It’s also pretty ace that you can now top up Plasma Rifle ammo, and the like, from other Plasma Rifles you find on the ground, as opposed to having to pick up a new gun when that one runs out of ammo.

Where Halo Infinite well and truly excels, though, is in its multiplayer and it’s clear that 343 is in a state of evolution here - the studio constantly tweaking Battle Pass progression and adding more game modes and playlists on the fly. With the fantastic shooting, the new weapons and new gadgets, there’s no doubt in my mind that Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is the best out there at the moment – and the best we’ve seen in quite some time. Being able to earn multiplayer cosmetics in the open-world campaign is pretty rad, too! I will reiterate again, however, that it’s a little disappointing that there aren’t more playlists available at launch – we’d love a ranked Big Team Battle, for instance – but 343 has already promised a few more before the end of the month, so there’s that. Should this have been ready for launch? You’d have to argue it should have, but the main thing is that the handcrafted maps are well balanced – but perhaps not as iconic as some of the series’ best – and the overall FPS mechanics are phenomenal. Halo’s multiplayer is well and truly back.

And that’s the thing with Halo Infinite - the most important thing, the shooting, is at the top of its game. The new weapons, the new ammo tweaks in the campaign, the grapple shot, everything combines to elevate Halo Infinite above all the other shooters in the shooter space. While the open-world campaign definitely has its pros and cons, there’s no denying the sheer quality of the gunplay and the array of cool toys and vehicles at your disposal – it really works for the most part. Throw in the best Halo multiplayer gameplay since… well, possibly ever, and Halo Infinite is almost certain to put Microsoft’s flagship series back on the map.

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Overall TGG Rating While Halo Infinite’s campaign structure is new territory for the series, and will likely divide opinion, it tells a good story, and creates moments that rank it in the top half when it comes to good Halo campaigns. Throw in a phenomenal multiplayer arena and some stellar shooter mechanics, and it’s safe to say that 343 has finally put its stamp on the wonderful world of Halo.

9/10 Audio 9/10 Halo Infinite is a blend of old and new when it comes to its score. The old Marty O’Donnell classic riffs are complemented by some new riffs that are clearly heavily influenced by the beats of old, especially Halo 2. It’s a very good arrangement, with some solid voice acting to boot.

Visuals 9/10 Halo Infinite’s visuals aren’t going to blow you away, that’s for sure, but from a purely artistic standpoint, it’s a very pretty game. Is it next-gen enough? Probably not, but it’s not a sight for sore eyes. Far from it.

Playability 9/10 It’s brilliant. There’s no other word for it. From a gameplay point of view, Halo Infinite is not only at the top of its game, but one of the best first-person shooters around, from a handling perspective.

Delivery 9/10 The open-world campaign is likely to prove divisive, but even beneath the open-world exterior, there’s still plenty of narrative-driven and linear sections. Switching structured set pieces for emergent gameplay is certainly a risk, though.

[Version tested: Xbox Series X]

Reviewed by: Brandon Sawyer 62

A Tom Clancy game in which Team Rainbow ditch the tactics to fend off an alien parasite.

How Ubisoft Montreal came to see Rainbow Six Extraction as a ‘good idea’ is a mystery, but the uninspired execution, bland first-person shooter mechanics, and one-note gameplay makes the game’s existence a particularly boring mystery, all the more ponderous.

down a designated elite enemy, or protecting a planted charge while it counts down to detonation. They’re game objectives you’ll have come to malign in the past (escorting a wounded scientist dweeb to an extraction point, anyone?) so don’t be surprised if you feel a palpable sense of déjà vu when playing the new Rainbow Six.

It’s especially odd to experience such an underwhelming shooter grow from the infinitely more accomplished Rainbow Six Siege: a game that, after a rocky launch, has evolved into a smart, tactical FPS with seemingly endless longevity. Extraction is neither smart nor tactical. Instead, you’re presented with a trio of randomly generated objectives prior to each mission, before being dropped into a level and let loose on a horde of spiky aliens, known as Archæans. Extraction’s otherworldly enemies fall into a number of established archetypes, whether it’s the gangly humanoid Grunt; the scuttling Breacher, which runs at you and explodes; the Rooter, which tethers you to the floor with grasping tendrils that erupt from the ground; and the Spiker, an armoured version of the Grunt that can fire projectiles – by and large, they’re all fairly forgettable.

Destructibility has been brought over from Rainbow Six Siege and is supposedly meant to add a tactical wrinkle to Extraction, but here, it feels surplus to requirements. It’s nice to have, especially since smashing through a wall as hammer-wielding Operator Sledge will never get old. But save for the occasional jump scare as an Archæan bashes through a chipboard partition, or a quick shortcut facilitated by a shotgun blast or grenade, breakable walls are pretty pointless. You can’t help but picture a design meeting at Ubisoft Montreal, in which the developer shrugged and said “well, it was in Rainbow Six Siege, so we may as well stick it in here, too”. It’s a shame Ubi didn’t bring across the weighty and satisfying gun handling, instead.

Other parasitic monsters like ‘Smashers’ are pretty self-explanatory, and despite a variety of foes that do different things, a dearth of randomly assigned objectives do little to keep things fresh or interesting. Invariably, you’re tasked with tagging nests, destroying so-called ‘Aberrant Nests’ and extracting a sample, taking

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For the most part, weapons in Extraction lack impact, the game’s enemies reeling from shots before collapsing into glowing red particles. It might have been nice had we been given the ability to dismember aliens, blow their heads off, or knock holes out of them... but no such luck. If you crave variety from Extraction, one of the few places you’ll find it is in the selection of eighteen Operators (twelve of which are

unlocked as you reach certain Milestone levels). Cherry-picked from R6 Siege, each is armed with their own weapons and abilities, encompassing Doc’s medicinal syringes, Finka’s adrenaline shot, Ela’s stun mines, Pulse’s heartbeat monitor, Gridlock’s spike traps, Rook’s armour plates, and a number of other helpful support skills, gadgets, abilities, and special weapons.

When an Operator falls in battle, they go MIA, encased in a sickly yellow foam, meaning you have to rescue them from the clutches of an ‘Arch Tree’ to return them to the roster. Even managing to complete an Incursion may see your Operators limping home injured, forcing you to cycle through different characters for each mission while they recover. Sometimes, it’s smarter to cut your losses and extract after completing one or two of the three objectives you’re presented with for each Incursion, rather than risk losing another Operator. Fail a rescue attempt enough times, meanwhile, and your Operator will be restored to the roster, but you’ll lose all of the XP you accrued with them. It’s a neat risk/reward mechanic that ensures you’ll think twice before pushing on through the airlock to an area’s next sub-zone.

As a member of crack Rainbow team ‘REACT’, you’ll visit quarantined zones in New York, San Francisco, Alaska, and an abandoned region situated in a small Southwestern desert town, carrying out ‘Studies’ that contribute to the completion percentage for each location.

Factor in random ‘Parasite Mutations’ that can change things up and some attempt has been made at rendering things interesting, but there’s presumably only so much trudging through unctuous black goo (known as ‘Sprawl’) and shooting pulsating red nests you may be able to stomach – it’s not long before Extraction begins to feel enormously repetitive, even when playing with friends.

Moderate and Cautious, which are almost entirely unmanageable even at the lowest difficulty, you can see a good run unceremoniously go up in smoke within mere seconds, which can, at times, seem egregious.

Additional replay ability can be found in the Maelstrom Protocol mode (a ranked affair featuring weekly challenges), assuming you have the persistence to boost your overall rank to 16, at which point it’s unlocked, and boost your Operators to level 10.

Discounting the additional modes and inherent fun factor that comes from playing with friends in co-op, Rainbow Six Extraction is unrelentingly generic, short on imagination and anything that feels unique or appealing. There is some enjoyment to be had here, stalking through each level, ruthlessly executing aliens with stealth takedowns, and efficiently completing missions. But a shortage of objectives, uninspired design, dull enemies, and unsatisfying gunplay conspire to make Rainbow Six Extraction feel more like a spinoff expansion for Rainbow Six Siege, rather than a full-fledged game in its own right. If it’s immediate extra-terrestrial shooter you seek, this will fit the bill, although there are myriad superior alternatives out there.

Designed primarily for co-op play, Rainbow Six Extraction is actually a far more demanding proposition with a squad of up to three players – ‘Moderate’ difficulty is anything but, while ‘Cautious’ difficulty ramps things up significantly, rewarding the extra effort with 50% bonus XP, should you successfully extract, of course. There are two difficulty levels above 64

Overall TGG Rating While it has a few nice ideas, Rainbow Six Extraction is nonetheless a generic first-person shooter that feels more like an expansion, rather than a full-blooded game.

6/10 Audio 6/10 Instantly forgettable menu music, guttural alien sounds, and random chatter from your Operators make for a fairly dull soundscape.

Visuals 7/10 Perfectly serviceable. A lot of black and yellow quarantine zones, with a few areas of interest, like a ‘Punk Club’ awash with neon, a casino (which only serves as a reminder of Rainbow Six Vegas), and a Wild West museum.

Playability 6/10 Again, entirely functional. It works, and when played in co-op with friends, there’s certainly some enjoyment to be had. Gunplay doesn’t feel particularly impactful and enemies are only fun to shoot for so long.

Delivery 6/10 The same handful of rotating objectives soon grow tiresome and gameplay can start to feel a mite one-note. While Extraction is fairly polished, there’s not quite enough here to keep you coming back. ] [Version tested: Xbox Series X]

Reviewed by: Brandon Sawyer

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Gunk. Better get used to that word now, as Steam World Games’ sci-fi adventure has a lot of it, and, spoiler alert, it’s really fun to clear it all out! Gunk of all forms shall come to be your nemesis in your time with the game, and you’ll soon come to enjoy charging straight at it, wielding Rani’s Power Glove, and hoovering up as much of the yucky stuff as possible. The Gunk drums up an instant sense of adventure by dropping you straight into things — you’re immediately sent out to explore an alien world.

Your objectives are clear and simple, as are the controls, meaning you can focus entirely on exploration and discovery. And gunk. Never forget the gunk.

Our partner Beck stays on the ship, and right away, The Gunk sets up that idea of conflict between the two. This is thanks in no small part to the stellar voice acting — you might think that keeping one character back would limit their impact on the story, but Rani and Beck stay in close contact throughout the game, creating an increasingly tense narrative about trust and the “right” thing to do. The crux of their conflict is noticeable right from the start when Beck decides to stay on the ship while Rani goes out to explore. From then on, Rani begins to build an attachment to this strange alien world, while Beck is focused inward on more practical matters, like fixing the ship. The gunk itself is dropped straight into the middle of this burgeoning bubble of mistrust — Rani is instinctively protective of the planet and wants to clear away the gunk, while Beck wants to stay back and stay out of it. The voice acting

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does a great job of getting across this graduallybuilding feud, and while the eventual fallout wasn’t quite as dramatic as I was hoping, the voice acting remains one of the strongest parts of the game. The music wonderfully complements that voice acting, with soaring music accompanying your exploration, or with sombre tones for some of the more serious parts of the story.

Now, let’s talk about the gunk — we can’t go far either in this review or in the game without encountering it, so let’s dig in. The gunk itself is a nasty, corrosive substance which seems to be draining the life from the planet. Rani comes armed with a Power Glove which lets you hoover up the substance, and it’s sort of like interacting with the world via the Vacpack in Slime Rancher; everything seems divided up into “stuff that can be hoovered up” and “stuff that can’t.” You’ll be doing a lot of clearing up after the gunk, so the fact that it is oddly satisfying to clean up the planet really helps.

It can be a somewhat lengthy process when there’s quite a lot of gunk, but the result — the sudden burst of greenery and vegetation as you help the afflicted area come back to life — is always enjoyable.

Clearing up the gunk usually results in access to a new area or to more resources, and this leads to one occasional hiccup of the game — when there’s one globule of gunk left hiding somewhere and you can’t find it, you are pretty much trapped until you can. This only happened once or twice in the later stages of the game,

but it was still frustrating, especially when the exploration normally feels so fluid. It also feels like a bit of a mixed message when it comes to the resources that appear after cleaning up the gunk. Getting rid of all the gunk revitalizes an area, bringing it back to life and filling it with plants and resources. It feels a little odd to go to all that trouble of working to save an area of natural beauty, just to turn around and plunder it. It might have been nice, too, to have a little more to do in the game, in addition to just cleaning up the gunk. Either way, the actual process of hoovering up the gunk is enjoyable, and you’ll find yourself invested in clearing up as much of it as possible.

Another of the game’s strengths is its sense of natural exploration. There’s no mini-map or HUD, so your entire attention is on the world in front of you, and the movement from one area to another feels entirely fluid. The world of The Gunk feels solid and looks beautiful, and while you can sprint, I often had Rani just trotting slowly around each area, looking at the light filtering through alien plants, just to breathe it in. There were a few frustrations in the later levels where a map might have been useful, but for the most part, the exploration does feel entirely natural. You can use Rani’s Power Glove to scan alien plants or structures, bringing up a little screen with all of its data, and this really heightens your sense of setting out as an

intrepid explorer. The resources you’ve found during your exploration can then be taken back to camp to craft upgrades, which will help you deal with the gunk and the occasional gunky creature you’ll encounter. The puzzles tied in with the exploration and with handling the gunk remind me a little of Omno, just in that both are very effective in giving an idea of natural progression, making the player instinctively aware of where to turn next. The further you get, the more complicated the levels become — you can set up beacons at certain points, where you’re able to fast travel back to your ship or to another beacon, and “completing” an area — clearing out its gunk or putting down its beacon — does feel like a rewarding experience.

The achievements felt as though they were handed out fairly regularly, for reaching story beats or else handling the gunky creatures in a certain way and provided a nice punctuation point to the gameplay. There are also a few to keep an eye on — I thought I had scanned everything I came across, but I haven’t yet unlocked the “Space Archaeologists” achievement for scanning every scannable object, so there must have been one or two I missed. I also tried to scavenge every resource I could, but I didn’t have quite enough to unlock the last upgrade, meaning I also missed the “All In” achievement — it seems The Gunk won’t give up all of its secrets so easily!

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Overall TGG Rating Overall, The Gunk feels like a weighty, enjoyable adventure that goes to some surprising places with its story. I had a great time clearing up the gunk and living my best adventurer life, and the length of the game seemed just right, ensuring that the gunk didn’t overstay its welcome. To make things even better, The Gunk launches straight into Xbox Game Pass today — so you can’t not give it a go.

8/10 Audio 8/10 A wonderful soundtrack and great voice acting, what more could you ask for? The Gunk is a treat for the ears.

Visuals 8/10 The Gunk looks fantastic, with excellent and imaginative world design, as well as great lighting and some really cool gunky physics. The art direction is also very strong, although some visuals bugs and pop-in do crop up to break the illusion from time to time.

Playability 8/10 The Gunk’s feels pretty great to control, with a satisfying vacuum mechanic, well-designed puzzles, and smart level design. At times it can be a little hard to put down.

Delivery 8/10 The Gunk plays well and offers up an intriguing narrative. But the inclusion of combat feels unnecessary and underbaked, and the latter half of the game doesn’t quite live up to the early highs, both narratively and mechanically.

[Version tested: Xbox Series X]

Reviewed by: Brandon Sawyer 69

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“Social media is free marketing and even if very few people are seeing it at first it’ll grow over time if you stay consistent.”

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Che Durena Otherwise known as Little Dinky News Otherwise known as Little Dinky News on Twitch, Che Durena is a well-loved comedian who has a massive following on TikTok (Currently at 5.6 million!). Based in Toronto, Che has a great career in comedy, having appeared on JFL All Access, Comedy Network and CraveTV. Che has since blown up on social media, and has emassed a following of 14.4k followers on Twitch. We were lucky enough to get an interview with him to find out more!

Hey Che! First of all, we would like to thank you for chatting with us today. How have you been?

Sounds like a very busy life you have! Let’s talk set up! What 5 essentials can you not stream without?

I’m good, the past few months have been really busy for me, in a good way.

Well, I co-host my stream with a very good friend of mine and fellow comic, Cameron Phoenix, he is the most important part of the chemistry on the stream. Then it would be our followers, we’ve assembled a rag-tag group of fans that love and fuel our chaotic streams.

Game selection is important, we want something that isn’t too fast paced so we have a lot of time to talk to the chat and riff. Then we have our daily challenges, something like if we get enough followers one of us will eat raw garlic. And finally, I would say pre-stream focus. I’ll sometimes have a cold shower or do a breathing exercise to make sure I’m sharp.

Great to hear! So, tell us, how long have you been streaming and what made you want to start streaming?

I’ve only been streaming seriously for about a year and a half. The pandemic was the catalyst that got me into streaming because I needed other creative outlets since I couldn’t perform stand-up. But it’s something I’ve been interested in for years, video games have been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember Yeah we completely understand that. Away from your streaming life what do you do in your spare time?

It’s awesome that your top 5 isn’t what we’d normally see! What advice can you give to any smaller streamers about making their stream better and growing their channel/content?

I’m playing video games casually, there are certain games I would never stream because I don’t want to be performing as I play them.

On top of that, I’ve been on the road a lot doing standup now that some of the restrictions have been lifted. I would say writing new jokes and getting out to comedy clubs eats up most of my time and then I try to get regular life stuff done like working out, emails, all the little stuff.

I would use all social platforms. Cut up and repost your content everywhere. Get a TikTok account, post on Reddit, start a YouTube channel, repost to Facebook and Instagram.

Social media is free marketing and even if very few people are seeing it at first it’ll grow over time if you stay consistent. Also, take the time to learn the algorithm and how these individual platforms work. Posting great content is one 72

part of the equation to growing on social media but knowing the nuts and bolts of the platform is as equally important That’s such great advice, thanks for that! We see you really blew up on TikTok amassing 5.6M followers (at the time of writing) what made you start posting to TikTok? The same motivator that made me start a Twitch channel, the pandemic. It forced a lot of live performers to look for other means of creating content. I saw how low stakes it was to make videos for TikTok and I knew I could stay consistent with filming videos since all I needed was my phone. Once I started to see some growth I knew it was going to be worth the investment.

That’s amazing, your videos are hilarious!

Here at The Gamer Guide we love your videos and always see you on our FYP. What advice would you give to smaller creators to improve their content?

I haven’t been in the content creation game very long but two things that stick out to me are making original content and learning the platform. The TikTok audience loves original things, they want to see a genuine person. I think that’s what is so appealing to me about the platform. You don’t need perfect lighting or your hair done up to make a great TikTok. And secondly is something I’ve already covered, learn the platform. For months I would spend an hour a day watching videos about the TikTok algorithm, what trends to follow, what styles of videos there are, posting times, how many times to post. I even found an interview where a TikTok employee was talking off the record on why people were getting banned.

All of that information helped immensely in growing my following.

Again some real solid advice! You coined the phrase “Follow me you fucking idiots” and whenever that’s said you’re instantly thought of. What made you think of that and keep using it at the end of your videos?

There were a couple of motivators. For starters, it set the tone of what kind of comedy I was bringing to the platform. It also gave people 73

a reason to remember me, if they couldn’t remember my name they could remember the phrase I say at the end of every video. Also, it was a baked-in call to action. On YouTube you see a call to action all the time.

There is an essential part of content creation, but people rarely use them on TikTok. I want to make sure that I was using a call to action in every video.

Well you sure are remembered whenever someone hears that phrase that’s for sure! We also see that you’re a comedian, what made you want to pursue a career in comedy?

I consumed countless hours of standup as a kid, I would watch comedy central non-stop hoping to find a new standup special. I kind of got a taste of it in high school when I would do public speaking and write comedic speeches.

But it wasn’t until years later when I got the itch to try standup and after my first performance I thought it was something I could be great at.

That’s amazing! We’ll keep an eye out for when you make it over to the UK! We know being a comedian can be a tough job with all the disturbances and heckles. What’s the funniest heckle you have received while being on stage?

Honestly I don’t have any memorable heckles, but I have memorable hecklers. I had a back and forth with a Karen about 3 weeks ago as the bar was kicking her out for talking through the whole show.

It was a moment where I felt like a headliner because I was able to deal with her funnily, keep the crowd on my side, and then proceed to have an amazing show afterward. The best part is she left a 1 star review on my Facebook page after.

Haha are you serious? That’s hilarious!

Speaking on heckles, what is your go to comeback when someone pipes up in the audience?

“Hey, shut the fuck up” is always my first move.

It’s shocking, sends the message, and almost always gets a laugh.

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Can’t go wrong with a simple STFU! Continuing the theme of comedy, who are your biggest inspirations and your top 5 comics?

I grew up when Chris Rock was the king of comedy, I’ve watched all of his specials over and over. Chappelle’s two HBO specials are still some of the best of all time and the Chappelle show taught me the real difference between the different types of comedy. Bill Burr hits home with me every time and the more you watch him the more you see how much he has perfected each element of his craft. For instance, he has some of the best act outs in standup and no one talks about it. John Mulaney can translate absurd jokes better than almost anyone. Finally, I would put Jim Jefferies on the list, he pushes the envelope every time and it’s great to watch.

Some strong picks there! Being based in Canada do you have any plans for a global tour one day? Here at The Gamer Guide we are based in the U.K and would love to catch one of your shows one day!

My current plans are to move to New York and start doing stand up with the heavy hitters. I have certain things in motion that should make this happen soon so hopefully, I’ll be there in the first half of 2022.

Well we’ll be there then! We notice on your live stream you have played a lot of Warzone lately. Have you always been a call of duty fan? If so, what are your top three call of duty games?

Honestly I’m not, I played a bit in high school when the Modern Warfare series was huge but when everyone made the jump from Halo 3 to Modern Warfare I stayed on Halo. I just got back in with Warzone because it’s a great pace for our stream. We can talk and joke around as we run aimlessly through buildings.

Modern Warfare was amazing back in the day!

On the subject of Call of Duty, what is your go to loadout?

I run with zero loadouts. I know that is blasphemous to say but I just do not care. It could be why we have never won a game on stream.

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I doubt that there’s some good ground loot!

So, Warzone just dropped a new map and a huge new anti-cheat.What are your thoughts on these?

A lot of people don’t like the new map but I’m a fan. It has a ton of brush which makes it harder to snipe. I suck at sniping so that’s a win for me. The anti-cheat is a much-needed fix but it seems like there are still a lot of cheaters out there.

Well hopefully they continue with the anticheat progress. Let’s talk about Gaming have you always been a gamer?

There was an NES in the house before I was born and some of my earliest memories are playing video games. It’s something that I consciously try to keep in my life because I know it brings me happiness.

A NES not bad at all! What was the first games console & game you ever got the chance to play?

It was for sure the NES and I think the first game was Duck Hunt. We had the Duck Hunt/ Super Mario combo cartridge. I have distinct memories of not being able to pass the point of two ducks flying over the screen.

years of new content and you could hang out with your friends online.

We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for that content as it’s released! We noticed in one of your videos an amazing Chewbacca shirt, are you a massive Star Wars fan, If so what film is your favorite?

I wouldn’t say I’m a massive fan but I have seen all the movies. For sure my favorite is Empire Strikes Back, it’s fun when the bad guys win.

A classic right there! What motivates you to keep doing what you are doing from TikTok Videos, streaming on Twitch, and even your fantastic stand-up comedy?

I truly enjoy it. Getting up out of bed and doing the work is so much easier when you love what you do.

We’ve all been there at some point in a video game haha! What was the most memorable moment you’ve ever had from gaming?

I once clutched a 3v1 in Overwatch on arena mode. It’s the single greatest thing I’ve ever done in gaming and I don’t think I’ll ever top it.

There’s still plenty of time and we can’t wait to see more highlights! What would be your go to console of all time?

I think either Playstation 4 or SNES, both of those consoles have insane libraries of games.

Very true! What are your Top 5 Games of all time?

This is always a hard question. In no particular order, I think I would go with Bloodbourne, Cuphead, Overwatch, Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time and Def Jam Fight for NY. Def Jam Fight for NY, now that brings back some memories! If you had to choose one game only to play forever, what would you choose?

I’ve never played it but I might go with Final Fantasy 14 because it seems like it’s the top MMO running right now, there’s going to be

We couldn’t agree more! So, let’s talk a little bit more about you! What is something that no one who watches your channel/content knows about you?

I love horrible movies, cheesy action movies are some of the most incredible comedies ever made and they didn’t mean to do it.

We’d have never put you as a cheesy action movie fan! Finally, what are you currently working on that you’d like our readers to know about/check out? And do you have any big things planned you’d love to share for 2022?

The biggest thing is going to be moving to the states, so if you’ve been dying to see me live but I’ve been too far away you’re going to get your chance soon.

Amazing Che! Thank you for taking the time to give us such a great interview. You can follow Che Durena below!

www.chedurena.com Twitch: @LittleDinkyNews Twitter: @CheDurena Instagram: @chedurena Facebook: @Che Durena TikTok: @Che Durena

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“Just get out there and stream, try new things, continue to learn, and make sure you’re streaming something that you are actually passionate about...”

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Dani is a fantastic streamer known for their Pokemon card obsession and unboxing videos. Though their main focus is on Pokemon, they are also classed as a variety streamer, having played many different types of games on Twitch. We were lucky enough to be able to get an exclusive interview with them to find out more about them and their streaming career!

Hey Dani, AKA SuperDuperDani! First of all, we would like to thank you for chatting with us today. How have you been?

TGG: That’s such great advice! What got you into gaming and what is your earliest memory of playing games?

I’ve been really well! Playing a lot of games and opening a lot of Pokemon cards per usual!

My older brother and I would play the original Pokemon Gameboy games together - he had Pokemon Blue and I had Pokemon Yellow. I remember playing Pokemon on my Gameboy before I even knew how to read! (which I’m sure added a bit of an extra challenge)

Good to hear! So, tell us, how long have you been streaming and what made you want to start streaming?

I started making YouTube videos in 2008, and started streaming consistently in 2019.

I was actually one of the first Pokemon content creators on YouTube! I had done a few live streams in the past, and fell in love with the entertainment style of live reacting to comments and finding fun ways to interact directly with my audience on the spot.

Pokemon Yellow! What a classic! Do you think that females face more negativity in the gaming industry?

That’s amazing! Away from your streaming life what do you do in your spare time?

I love taking photos - I go for walks almost every day with my camera to take pictures and listen to some good tunes.

It’s always been an uphill climb in this space - it seems like within many communities, not exclusively gaming, minority groups are treated differently even though they may have the same merit or expertise, just because they don’t fit in with the traditional look of the community.

It’s good to keep active! What advice can you give to any smaller streamers about making their stream better and growing their channel/ content?

We completely agree! We see you are really into Pokemon. What are your favourite 3 starters? They can be a set generation or you can mix and match from different gens.

In my opinion, one of the most important parts of creating content is continually posting and sharing things, even if it’s not perfect. Just get out there and stream, try new things, continue to learn, and make sure you’re streaming something that you are actually passionate about, not just something that you are hopping on because it’s trendy.

I’m gonna have to give it to Charmander, Cyndaquil, and Mudkip!

You don’t need to wait until you have that perfect set of gear, new graphics, or the newest tech - you can start posting and growing your pages now and all of those additions can come later.

I personally identify as non-binary, but I think females in gaming definitely face difficulties being taken seriously and gaining the respect of their male peers.

Solid picks right there! We see you’ve been playing Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, how excited are you for the upcoming Pokemon Legends Arceus?

I’m so stoked. It’s the first game of its kind, and takes place in ancient Pokémon times which I think is going to be so interesting to play through. They also gave my favorite Pokémon Growlithe a special form in the game!

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We can’t wait either! Let’s talk set up! What 5 essentials can you not stream without? #1 Elgato Stream Deck with sound board (I love playing funny sound effects and goofy gimmicks) #2 When doing unboxings and Pokemon openings, my top-down camera tripod #3 Streaming PC with OBS broadcasting software #4 Elgato Game Capture and Cam Link to connect my video and game feeds to my stream #5 A nice full glass of water. Gotta stay hydrated.

Hydration is key when gaming! What would you say are your Top 5 Games of all time?

Far Cry 3, Assassin’s Creed 2, Pokémon Soul Silver, Call of Duty Black Ops 2, and Pokémon Puzzle League. They’re all quite different, but have their own special charm that got me obsessed with playing them for hours on end!

Pokemon Puzzle League what a throwback!

If you had to choose one game only to play forever, what would you choose?

That’s a really tough one. Honestly, I would choose one that I could continually get better at, not one that has a story that eventually ends. I’m going with Tetris.

Not a bad choice! What made you choose to stream on Twitch over the likes of Youtube, Facebook and other platforms?

I actually stream on YouTube and Twitch! I have a much larger audience on YouTube because I’ve been posting videos for over 10 years, however I think Twitch has some incredibly useful tools for streaming that YouTube has yet to integrate.

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Wow 10 years! What is the best moment you have had streaming? Or if you have a few, what are your Top 3?

OMG. I’ve had some wild ones. I once live streamed an accidental once-in-a-lifetime ERROR Pokemon booster box - a 2001 vintage Neo Discovery booster box that had a crazy manufacturing error that placed a holographic card in every single pack. Normally there are 12 holographics in a box, and this one had 36, no one has ever documented that before!

It made it even more interesting because this set was SO OLD and also so expensive now it costs over $10,000 for a sealed box. I plan on sending the stream into Guinness World Records and seeing if they will accept it as an actual record, that would be insane.

WHAT?!? 36 Holos! So, let’s talk a little bit more about you! What is something that no one who watches your channel/content knows about you?

I tell my audience pretty much everything that’s going on in my life - I can’t think of anything big I haven’t shared with them to be honest!

That’s great! Finally, what are you currently working on that you’d like our readers to know about/check out? And do you have any big things planned you’d love to share for 2022?

I’ve got at least 4 or 5 YouTube or Twitch streams going on every week on SuperDuper Dani, plus a weekly Pokemon Podcast called the Shadowless Podcast! We also just wrapped up shooting for a trading card documentary that I will be featured in, so more info on that coming later in 2022!

Thank you for taking the time to let us interview you! Give Dani a follow on their socials and Twitch to find out more about them!

Twitch: @SuperDuperDanni Twitter: @SuperDuperDanni Instagram: @SuperDuperDani YouTube: @SuperDuperDani TikTok: @SuperDuperDanni

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Prohenis Henry, best known as ProHenis on social media, is an American professional gamer who specializes in content creation. Henry first started off his online gaming career by focusing on the popular games Minecraft and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, but moved to Fortnite once the game was released. Henry first became well-known for his Fortnite when he had a one-versus-one battle against the well-known streamer Ninja and defeated him in their first battle and then again 12 hours later. In 2015, Henry joined KARNAGE Clan as commentator and is now the Director of Content.

Hey Henis! First of all, we would like to thank you for chatting with us today. How have you been?

I’ve been good, thanks! I really appreciate you guys reaching out & giving me the opportunity to chat.

The pleasure is all ours, it’s great to hear from you. So, tell us, how long have you been streaming and what made you want to start streaming?

Streaming first peaked my interest back in 2013/2014 when I started high school. I remember hearing about Twitch from a friend & I began watching streamers play games that I really enjoyed; Call of Duty mostly.

I would sit in the library after school doing my homework while watching Syndicate play Call of Duty Zombies and Minecraft.

Oh that’s quite some time ago great to see the commitment over the years. Away from your streaming life what do you do in your spare time?

Well, overall I’m a pretty big nerd so I love all things tech! I really enjoy working with computers & learning/reading about new technology. I’m also a big fan of stand up comedy. I have a ton of respect for the art & really enjoy watching comedy clips & specials.

My dad & I are also big baseball fans; we try to make it to one Yankees game every year. Aside 81

from that, most of my time is spent working on my content in one way or another.

We can relate, we love all things nerdy and tech, speaking of stand up you’ll have to check out Che who is also in the issue he’s a great stand up comedian as well as streamer.

Let’s talk set up! What 5 essentials can you not stream without?

A: Most importantly, gotta have my GFuel! My favorite flavor by FAR is Sour Blue Chug Rug (FaZe Rug’s flavor) & I really enjoyed their LemoNade flavor before they discontinued it. (use code “HENIS” for a GFuel discount! not sure if I’m allowed to include that hahaha) Number 2 would be my most recent setup upgrade, my 27” Alienware gaming monitor.

It’s 1440p resolution at 240hz refresh rate; in layman’s terms it’s very bright, colorful, and smooth. After playing on a smaller 60hz monitor for years when I first started gaming, this is an amazing upgrade!

Third would be my Logitech G Pro Wireless mouse. It’s my favorite gaming mouse that I’ve ever used. Very light & it fits in my hand perfectly!

Fourth would be my Ducky One 2 gaming keyboard with cherry MX brown switches. The keys have a very satisfying, tactile feel while not being too loud or clicky that they get picked up by my microphone & annoy my viewers while I’m typing or gaming.

“With each new video that I make, I always try to make sure I’m improving one thing; whether that’s my storytelling, pacing, video/audio quality.

That way I know I’m getting better each time I create.”

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And finally I’d have to say my Shure SM7B microphone. I think it’s easy to underestimate the value of having high quality audio in your content, even more so than good video. I bought it a few years ago & it’s the best microphone I’ve ever used!

That’s a great choice and you can shout out your code, USE CODE HENIS GFuel drinkers! As for audio we can relate those shure microphones are something special. What advice can you give to any smaller streamers about making their stream better and growing their channel/ content?

I do my best to remind my viewers that I truly don’t think there’s anything super unique or special about me that contributes to my success on YouTube, other than the fact that I REALLYYY wanted it to be my job. I think what helped me the most was being honest with myself & being critical of my content. I will frequently watch back my own videos & streams, which at first was very uncomfortable & awkward, and I try to watch myself as if I’m a brand new viewer.

I treat each new video kinda like it’s a job interview or a first impression that I’m giving to someone. In the roughly 10mins that I have to entertain them, I want them to pick up on my gaming skill, my personality, my humor… stuff like that. With each new video that I make, I always try to make sure I’m improving one thing; whether that’s my storytelling, pacing, video/ audio quality. That way I know I’m getting better each time I create.

We love your content and it’s great to see how fun and engaging your community is, we love how you treat it like a job which it is and first impressions always do matter the most.

Big congratulations on hitting the massive milestone of one million subscribers on YouTube, what did you feel once you reached that goal and how much time and effort did it take to achieve such a great accomplishment?

Thank you! It took a long time. I’ve been making YouTube videos on my ProHenis YouTube channel since 2014, but I actually had 2 YouTube channels before that. I used to send copy and paste direct messages to users who left comments on videos that I also enjoyed 83

watching, and I would ask them to subscribe to my channel. It was a successful strategy & I gained hundreds of subs with this method, but I felt guilty because none of those people subscribed because they enjoyed my videos, they only subscribed because I asked them to.

So I deleted both of those channels & when I started ProHenis I told myself I wasn’t gonna do “sub for sub” or anything like that & I would try my best to grow my channel organically. I reached 1 million subscribers on June 30th 2019 and the feeling was truly surreal!

It was the ultimate reward for the years of effort I had put into my channel. I remember feeling very proud of myself that day!

Organic growth is the way forward. We have seen a few people try the other method. It’s okay for subscribers but not organic viewership from our view, we are glad to see you filtered from that to make it organic and stand out so much more. We see that you have played a lot of Fortnite over the years, what advice would you give to people who love Fortnite and would like to improve their game to reach pro levels?

One of the biggest things that’s helped me improve in any game I play is to watch skilled, high level players play that game. I’ve learned so much about Fortnite from watching real pro players in regular public matches, scrims, tournaments, and even Fortnite Creative.

I try to pick up on the little things they do that really sets them apart from average players & then do my best to apply during my own gameplay.

It’s always great to take notes from the Pros.

After all they wouldn’t be Pros if they didnt do something special. On the subject of Fortnite, what was the best chapter in your opinion?

Oooo, that’s a tough one. It’s funny, I get asked this question a lot and I never have an answer ready. I’ve played Fortnite since before Chapter 1 Season 1 back in September 2017, so a lot of the specific Chapters get scrambled in my head.

If I had to pick one, I’d say Chapter 1, Season 5.

When I look back at that time, I just remember having a lot of fun playing.

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Fortnite is a great game and their chapters can get confusing that’s for sure. Scenario time!

It’s the Fortnite world duo championships and you can pick any content creator as your duo partner, who would it be and why?

Wow… any content creator?? If I could choose anyone, I’d choose Kenny. (Kenworth) We definitely wouldn’t win, but we would have a lot of fun hahaha!! He’s just got great energy & I always enjoy playing & making content with him.

A Fun game and the duo can really make it even if you don’t win, you had fun and that’s all that matters at the end of the day. We notice you play mouse and keyboard, do you have any key binding recommendations for Fortnite players?

My best recommendation would be to not blindly copy the keybinds of your favorite streamers or pro players. That can be a good start but everyone has different finger lengths, different keyboard sizes/layouts, & different preferences. Don’t be afraid to copy a streamer’s binds & then change them up a bit for something that feels more comfortable to you. Another tip would be to try and be smart about what keybinds you choose for in-game actions. For example, building & editing are both a big part of Fortnite, so make sure your build binds & edit binds are close to where your fingers are usually resting. (WASD keys) I use ‘Q’ to place my floor, ‘T’ for my cone, my two mouse side buttons for ramps & walls, and ‘F’ as my edit bind. This decreases the already small amount of time it takes for me to move my finger from one key to another. Saving those small milliseconds of time can make a big difference in competitive play.

Great recommendations we agree everyones different don’t just copy and paste someone’s play style as it may be harder than it seems.

We also see that you play a lot of Call of Duty Specifically Warzone, what are your current thoughts about the game, the new map, the crossover between vanguard and their anticheat system?

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the old Verdansk map. There are changes I like & changes I don’t. It has it’s unique quirks, but for content I think it’s great! A game doesn’t have to be perfectly polished to be entertaining to watch or play. The anti-cheat is a great step for Call of Duty & it’s definitely helped reduce the amount of hackers I run into. Overall, it’s been a fun & interesting crossover. I’m hopeful that Activision will work out the current issues over time.

That anti-cheat was much needed, you’ve got that right and the map is getting such mixed reviews glad to see you still playing and enjoying though. On the subject of Call of Duty, what is your go to loadout and are there any specific key binds you’d recommend for Warzone players?

My go to loadout before the Vanguard integration was the EM2 and PPSH. Now that Vanguard has been released, I’d say the BAR and MP40 are my favorite weapons to use right now. I don’t have any specific keybind suggestions for Warzone players, but I do have a tip for KB&M players. Aiming with a mouse takes a lot of muscle memory, so I try and make sure I use the same sensitivity in every game I play. On the controller, sensitivities between games generally feel the same; a 5 sensitivity in Call of Duty is going to feel very similar to a 5 sensitivity in Fortnite. But this isn’t true for PC games. There are great websites that can help easily convert sensitivities from one game to another & it’s helped improve my aim & develop good muscle memory SO much!

Such a deadly loadout is that one, such a great tip for those keyboard and mouse users thanks for that one. Where did the love for first person shooters come from? And what are your top 5 all-time Call of Duty games?

I think the competitive nature of the games really intrigued me early on. I wasn’t very good when I first started & I was BLOWN away by how talented the competitive players & content creators were. Once I knew that I wanted to be a content creator for Call of Duty, I knew I had to get better at the game. My number 1 favorite Call of Duty has to be Modern Warfare 3. It was the first COD I ever played so it has a special 86

place in my heart. From there, it would be Black Ops 2, Black Ops 3, Advanced Warfare, & the Modern Warfare: Warzone.

With some of our team previously competing in Esports we can relate to the competitiveness.

It’s what made us grow to love those shooters also, Great number one spot there MW3 was a fantastic game. Let’s say you’re about to drop into a game of warzone with a full squad of four out of all content creators out there who are you bringing with you and why?

Wow, so many talented people to choose from. I’d have to start with Symfuhny as one.

I’ve been watching him since the H1Z1 days; he’s an incredibly talented KB&M player. Next would be TimTheTatman. I’ve been watching Tim since before he went full time with streaming. His energy & sense of humor is so fun & contagious. And finally, I’d choose Dr. Disrespect.

His entertaining personality & sense of humor would be so fun to have around. I really enjoy watching Tim and Doc play together! And even though I’ve never played with any of these guys, I think we’d do pretty well playing together hahaha.

Symfuhny is a fantastic player im not surprised to see him there at all, and oh boy do we need Tim someones gotta take the aggro while we rack up the kills and finally one of our favourites the doc such a great choice who doesn’t want the two time in their squad. Given the current situation within the industry, including the recent happenings with Twitch, Activision, Blizzard etc. What are your thoughts on equality, diversity & what steps do you feel need to be taken to create a fair, safer & inclusive environment?

I think it’s really horrible that these things are even happening in the first place. It’s a reminder that we all have a role to play in making our communities safer & more inclusive.

It’s important to be aware of inequality & mistreatment, and equally as important to not discredit people & their claims; we have to make sure that we’re taking people seriously.

It’s a difficult & strange time & we’re all learning 61 87

how to work our way through it. I have faith that each day brings us closer to a more positive community.

You’re right, it’s a very strange and difficult time. It’s good to see actions are being taken though. As you are a proud member of Karnage Clan, please tell our readers what Karnage is and any Karnage members who they should really check out.

KARNAGE Clan is a gaming organization that started in 2011 & built their reputation off high quality content surrounding the popular Call of Duty franchise. The organization, headed

by KRNG Apollo, has always maintained an image of professionalism & friendliness, both within the organization & the audiences of each member. All members of KARNAGE are incredibly talented & have their own unique styles. I think it’d be unfair to shout out just one in particular. They’re all working so hard!

Such a great bunch KARNAGE clan thanks for letting our readers know more. On the subject of Karnage, how did it feel to sign with such a great organisation?

It was a surreal experience! I first learned about KARNAGE when they launched their KARNAGE RC (recruitment challenge) & they said they were looking for new members to join their organization. I really admired the professionalism, success & positive reputation that the organization had earned in the YouTube gaming community & it’s one of the big reasons I wanted to join. I applied to be a commentator for the team which meant I would provide commentary & narration over impressive Call of Duty gameplays that were achieved by a pubstomper (good player) on KARNAGE. I worked hard on about 6 or 7 videos that I could send in to show my expertise.

After waiting about a month, I remember the exact moment I got recruited. I was actually on a vacation with my family back in 2015 when I got a message that KRNG Chain wanted to get into a Skype call with me & wish me a happy birthday! (this was only a few days after my actual birthday, July 7th) I remember joining the call & him delaying actually singing the song until KRNG Apollo, leader of KARNAGE, 62 88

joined the call out of nowhere & told me I got recruited! I was so excited & immediately told my parents the news. It was a great feeling to know that they had recognized my hard work & were willing to give me a shot.

I’ve remained in the organization to this day & made so many great friends through the team.

I bet that was some amazing call. It’s great to see you joining such a great team. We can see that you are powered by GFuel which is a great accomplishment, Please explain to our readers what GFuel is and what was your initial thoughts when GFuel reached out to you?

GFuel is a natural energy drink that increases energy, focus & endurance. Primarily marketed towards gamers & the gaming industry, GFuel comes in a wide variety of flavors & forms! (powder, cans, hydration) I was consuming GFuel long before they reached out with a sponsorship opportunity & I was thrilled when I got their message!

It was the first time a big company had reached out to me for a sponsorship opportunity & even better, it was for a company I already really liked! I love that I get the opportunity to further my brand while advertising a genuinely fantastic product to my audience.

We would love to work with GFuel, It’s great they reached out to you, our team is still yet to even try it. Also on the topic of GFuel our readers should use code ‘HENIS’ when purchasing but what flavour do you recommend?

Sour Blue Chug Rug!! And get the cans if they’re in stock. I think it tastes better than the powder in the water, and it’s a lot easier to start drinking.

Looks like that will be the first on the list for our team to give a try once we manage to get a hold of some they are quite rare out here in the UK. What are your Top 5 Games of all time?

Call of Duty, Fortnite, Battlefield, Minecraft, Need for Speed.

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A nice mixture of games, such a great choice.

If you had to choose one game only to play forever, what would you choose?

Oh man, that’s a tough one. If I had to pick just one, I think it would be Minecraft. There’s no real “ending” to that game necessarily. The creative opportunities are endless & I think it would take me the longest time to get bored playing Minecraft than it would any other game.

To be honest we too could get lost in a Minecraft world for hours on end, great choice! As a keyboard and mouse player, has this always been your go to or did you make the switch from controller? ’ve always been a keyboard & mouse player.

I never had an Xbox or Playstation in the house, only a Wii, and I was so fascinated with computers growing up that when I found out about gaming I just started playing games on the computer. I remember the first real game I ever played was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

I played it on an old Acer laptop that my parents got me for Christmas. I played through the entire campaign using the trackpad on the laptop to aim because I didn’t have an external mouse hahaha.

It’s not often that you find some of the old school original keyboard and mouse players great to see you’ve stuck at it all these years.

On the subject of keyboard and mouse, what keyboard and mouse would you recommend for someone new to this style of play to use?

My biggest piece of advice for new keyboard & mouse players is to play on a low sensitivity if you can. For years, I played on a high sensitivity because I didn’t have much room on my desk.

Now I give myself plenty of room for my mouse to move around so I can play at a lower sensitivity & be much more accurate with my aim. This really only applies to shooting games where aiming really matters, but it’s really helped me improve my gameplay over the years. And also, don’t be afraid to mess around & change your sensitivity. There’s no perfect, magic sensitivity that works for everyone.

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Another fantastic tip for our readers. Back to streaming, what is the best moment you have had streaming? Or if you have a few, what are your Top 3?

My favorite streaming moment has to be during the Fortnite Doomsday Flood Event that happened in June 2020. A few large creators who were also streaming the event on YouTube got disconnected from the in-game event & weren’t able to watch.

Fortunately for me, my stream must have been in the suggested or watch-next for a lot of their viewers because a TON of people started watching my stream. I already had about 20,000 viewers watching me, but then 5 minutes before the event started my viewership skyrocketed & I peaked at over 150,000 live concurrent viewers; by far the most viewers I’ve ever had watching me live.

That was amazing, but also a little stressful and overwhelming to think about that many people looking at me hahaha.

Wow that’s great we bet that was very nerve wrecking. What motivates you to keep doing what you are doing from your streaming and YouTube videos to your reactions and highlights?

My biggest source of motivation right now is still the same thing that motivated me to start YouTube in the first place. It’s this desire to be known as a successful YouTuber. It’s never really been about making money or becoming famous; I just remember watching Syndicate, Preston & other YouTubers back in the day and thinking to myself “I wanna be one of those guys.

I wanna be known as a YouTuber.” For me it was a status symbol. In my eyes those guys were super cool & they were able to go against the norm while also being very successful. I really love the idea of making a career out of something that’s so non-traditional. There’s a pride that comes with an accomplishment like that & I love the thrill I get from allowing it to be my job. It of course comes with it’s stresses & downsides, as does any job, but for me I really enjoy the constant pursuit of growth that comes with this line of work.

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Keep on chasing it, you’re getting very well known right now. We can’t wait to catch up in a couple more years and see where you’re at then. Being verified on pretty much everything, what was your initial thought when you got that blue tick and do you have any advice for people who are grinding this goal?

Well for me, getting that Twitter verification check was by far the most coveted & desired checkmark, and it’s the most recent one I’ve gotten too. I think that’s because it’s so mysterious & unclear how to get verified on Twitter haha. For YouTube, the requirement is to reach 100,000 subscribers & then you can apply right on YouTube for the checkmark & 100,000 plaque. But on Twitter, for the longest time it seemed like you just had to get lucky.

Now they have an actual application form for getting verified, but even that has been unreliable for many people. I’ve seen creators with less of a following than me get verified & I’ve seen creators with more than double my following who get denied. It’s all very strange. As far as advice goes, the only real tip for getting verified on any platform is to grow more followers. Hahaha sorry that’s not really helpful advice. The last platform I need a checkmark is Instagram. I’ve applied 4-5 times now and been denied every time. One day…. one day I will get it.

Oh the dreaded blue tick on twitter, such a hard one to get, i’ve seen some big names struggle with that glad to see you secured it! On the subject of being verified we notice you are verified on TikTok now that is some accomplishment. What was the one TikTok that really went viral and made you think wow this platform is crazy?

One of my first TikToks ever, a clip from Fall Guys where I found a hacker, went viral! It got over 1 million views in such a short period of time. I think what really shocked me about TikTok was how quickly the video got views.

On YouTube, I’m used to a really good video taking a few days or even a week to reach 1 million views, but on TikTok it happened in a few hours. I remember that’s when I really saw the potential of TikTok & even the potential of short form content in general.

TikTok can be crazy for those viral moments very similar to how the old Vine used to be such a great app for content creators. So, let’s talk a little bit more about you!

What is something that no one who watches your channel/content knows about you?

Well I haven’t talked about it much on my stream or in videos, but I’m really into coding & programming. I went to college for 1.5 years and was a Cyber Security major before I dropped out, so I took a few gen-ed courses on programming & coding.

I’m not very good at it… at all, but I really enjoy learning new things & self teaching. Recently, I learned a lot about the APIs of different social media platforms & I coded my own ProHenis Analytics/Data Sheet.

It’s a shared Google Spreadsheet that automatically collects analytics & data across my YouTube channels, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & TikTok so I can see collectively how I’m growing month to month. (views, impressions, new followers, engagement, etc) It’s not very professional or polished at all, but it’s something I’ve really enjoyed learning about & the value of having that data all in one place has made it much easier for me to track my overall growth.overall growth.

You should really let your viewers know more.

I bet they would be super interested, Hey we may see you coding a game one day! Finally, what are you currently working on that you’d like our readers to know about/check out?

And do you have any big things planned you’d love to share for 2022?

I don’t have anything specific to shoutout or get people excited about. Just know that I love being a YouTuber & I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon! Even though I may be inconsistent, it’s safe to say I’ll always be back, in one way or another hahaha. I’m excited to keep going through 2022 & make this my best year on YouTube yet!

Thank you so much for doing this interview with us Henis it’s been great. If you want to check out Henis and all his socials you can find them below.

YouTube: @ProHenis Twitch: @ProHenis Twitter: @ProHenis Instagram: @ProHenis Facebook: @ProHenis TikTok: @prohenis KARNAGE Clan Website: www.karnageclan.com

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“Don’t hold back because you feel like you don’t have the resources, and don’t wait for that one special moment that you think will kick start everything because it won’t.”

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sabrinathewitxh Both an extremely talented singer and streamer, Sabrina has quite a few skills under her belt! She plays a variety of games, such as shooters like Halo, Overwatch and Valorant, as well as more chilled out games like Stardew Valley. We are so happy to have her featured in this issue of The Gamer Guide! Read on to find out more about Sabrina and her career in both streaming and music!

Hey Sabrina! First of all, we would like to thank you for chatting with us today. How have you been?

Hey thank you so much for having me! I have been good, thanks! End of 2021 was a rough one but I’m feeling very excited about 2022!

It’s a pleasure to be featuring you. It’s a shame 2021 didn’t end so well for you, onwards and upwards 2022 is going to be a big year for you that’s for sure. So, tell us, how long have you been streaming and what made you want to start streaming?

I started streaming on Twitch about 2 and a half years ago now. It’s something I have wanted to do since I was about 17/18 years old but just never really had the confidence to. A YouTuber that I watched a lot started streaming on Twitch in 2019 and after speaking to her she gave me the courage to start my own channel. I was streaming on and off for a while struggling to find a balance between work, streaming and my other hobbies, so it wasn’t until this year that I really got stuck into a regular streaming schedule.

The grind continues! It’s great to see a fellow YouTuber help you with the boost you needed.

It is really hard to be a content creator and work at the same time. We can relate over the years but we are happy to see it all falling into place for you. Away from your streaming life what do you do in your spare time?

I have quite a few hobbies up my sleeve as I’m a very practical and creative person. I love

to play piano, draw, paint, dance, play video games, and I’ve recently started going to the gym 3-4 times a week. So, it’s fair to say that my days are usually busy doing something!

Very active and a range of hobbies there that’s great to hear. Let’s talk set up! What 5 essentials can you not stream without?

This is a hard one! My brother recently gave me a stream deck and oh my god has it been a dream! That’s definitely one. Also, my dance channel point rewards are always fun, chat always love to mess up my gameplay in Halo Infinite or make sure I get caught in Five Nights at Freddy’s by making me dance like their little puppet. The final three would have to be my ring light (have to have good lighting!)wireless headphones so that I don’t have to worry about getting tangled in pesky wires, and finally my 2-litre bottle of water, it stops me from having to keep leaving the stream to get refills!

Those channel points are amazing as a viewer we sure do love those, also some great items which we would also recommend especially having a wireless headset much needed. What advice can you give to any smaller streamers about making their stream better and growing their channel/content?

If you really want to see growth and quickly it is vital to promote on other platforms where you have a following, to network with other content creators and streamers (big or small), and finally, as cheesy as it sounds, is to just have fun and enjoy what you’re doing. If you’re not enjoying it then that negativity will show on 94

stream and it will affect the chat’s mood and that’s not fun for anyone! At the end of the day twitch is another form of entertainment, making it an extension of the entertainment industry, so entertain! Be goofy, people love it!

I know chat has a great laugh when I fumble in game or stutter over my words.

Networking is key, you’ve got that right and always have fun and enjoy, socials are very massive nowadays and that’s one big key to success perfectly spot on there. We notice you are a huge Halo fan similar to us and you also have Halo themed sub badges, Where did the love from Halo come from?

Yes! I am a HUGE Halo fan and have been for so long. It all started when I was around 5/6 years old. My cousins had an Xbox and would play Halo in front of me whenever I went to visit them with my family. Naturally my big brother took a liking to it and eventually my parents bought us an Xbox. Before this we were PlayStation kids but Halo and Xbox made sure to take over! Myself and my brother would always play every Halo game together all the way up until Halo 4 and when something is a part of your life for so long, it becomes a part of your identity. It also helps me stay close to my brother so I would never want to let that go.

Ah the sweet memories of playing Halo on the original Xbox oh we do miss those times. On the subject of Halo what are your thoughts on the all new Halo Infinite?

I love online multiplayer! When the Beta was first launched, I will say I was a little disappointed with the lack of SWAT game mode as that’s my favourite. However, I did enjoy everything else that came with it.

I was never much of a competitive player when it comes to video games, I mean I played a little of Overwatch comp but some of my teammates that I was paired with were a bit too harsh for my liking! The Halo Infinite ranked arena was a different story though! I was so happy to see the starter weapon would be the Battle Rifle as I feel I played my best with it. After playing the initial 10 matches to find my rank, I ended playing at Gold 1 which made me feel a lot more confident in my abilities!

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We love online multiplayer too, our team here spent a lot of time really grinding that game, we are glad you’re loving it. Also Halo related, what is your all time Halo game and why?

I am a huge fan of the Arbiter and the Oracle so it’s a close call between Halo 2 and 3. I know Halo Reach is considered a fan favourite amongst the Halo community but for me personally, Halo isn’t quite Halo unless you’re playing as the Master Chief.

Yeah the chief will always be a fan favourite and any game with him just gets more love and attention, Great choice though 3 is our all time favourite as that just took online to another level. And one more Halo related question, we saw you on Twitch do a cover for the Halo theme via Voice Mod and wow it was great.

Do you have any plans for any future gaming related covers?

Oh god I completely forgot about that! Are you really a Halo fan If you don’t cover the Halo theme at least once with a reverb voice mod?

Hahah! There are so many creative musicians out there who create fan songs for video games, I mean I’m a really huge fan of The Living Tombstone and regularly listen to the songs they have created. As for whether I would create something like that, I mean I would love to! I started writing a song based on the indie horror game Poppy Playtime as I was inspired by the music box track that you hear at the end of chapter one. However, I never got around to finishing it as I got so busy focusing on my original music, Twitch and TikTok. I would like to finish it one day, but as for when that will be I’m not entirely sure.

We absolutely love it when creators mess around with voice mods it makes great content. We have seen you rapidly grow via TikTok recently, would you recommend TikTok for similar creators looking to grow?

I definitely would recommend TikTok to any and every content creator out there. It’s extremely hard to grow an audience organically through a platform like Twitch, but with Tiktok’s algorithm and layout, it is so much easier for creators to find their audience and niche. It has really helped me grow on Twitch and Instagram, even

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on Twitter! So I strongly recommend it. It’s not always cringy content and trends, the gaming community is very present there too and has helped me discover new streamers to watch.

Yeah we do highly recommend TikTok too as its reach is incredible. Has TikTok helped you a lot in getting more of a reach in audiences?

It has for sure helped me, although I have had my fair share of hate on there too, I have still been able to find and build a wonderful community that I talk to everyday through my Discord server.

Haters are everywhere you have just got to let it ride and keep doing what you are doing, it’s great to hear you have a wonderful community regardless. We see that you are not only a streamer but also a recording artist, please tell our readers a little bit about this.

Sure! I’m SABRINA! I write songs about myself and my mental health as well as produce tracks inspired by video game and film soundtracks!

I use music as my own personal therapy as it helps me organise my thoughts and put them into words.

That’s such a great way to deal with the problem you may face in your day to day life, we do recommend checking out your music as it is very great. What got you into making music and when did you realise you could sing?

I have been singing for as long as I can remember really. My mom would always tell me that when I was a baby I would scream a lot and she could tell I was going to be a singer.

I actually got bullied and picked on a lot growing up, it seemed like everything that I did or anything that made me an individual was deemed as wrong to everyone else. Except when I sang, that was the only time people would compliment me.

So, I ran with it. Music became my best subject and the only thing that would bring me joy and calm me down when I feel angry or sad.

Awh that’s such a shame you had to go through that as a child, it’s great to hear you found your comfort in singing and you can laugh at all those bullies now as you’re doing amazingly.

Who are your biggest influences in music who have shaped what sort of musician you wanted to be?

Lyrically I would have to say Demi Lovato and Phil Collins. Their songs and words always seemed to move me in ways no one else could.

Musically, I would have to say most film composers, I’ve found that film soundtracks and also video game soundtracks achieve a level of emotion that isn’t common in mainstream music. Cody Fry is an artist I recently discovered who released a song called ‘Underground’ and this song made me feel that same emotion that movies did and it was so inspiring! So, Cody Fry is another person to add to the list.

Some very strong choices there and great aspirations to live off of. We see that you’ve recently dropped an EP which is amazing by the way! What was the inspiration behind the name Phase One and what were your influences making the EP? The idea behind the title ‘Phase One’ is inspired

by Marvel. As you know the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been given to us in phases, Phase One marking the beginning introducing us to the original Avengers before they first band together.

Like that it symbolises the beginning of myself as an artist, the uncertainty of what it is and where it’s going to lead, I feel like perfectly encapsulates how I felt creating and producing my debut EP by myself and also how I feel making my way through this industry alone, with no one to really hold my hand a lead me through it.

My main influence is and will always be video games and the track ‘Heroes and Villains’ is the best track to show that as it samples video game sound effects and lyrically is about how I used video games to hide from the world but they are also the thing that inspires me to keep going.

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Such a great name and the story behind it. All of us here love that. I’m glad you have let our readers know that I’m sure they will all take a listen after reading this. Now that you’ve dropped the EP, what is the next step for you in your music career?

I am currently working on my second EP titled ‘Phase Two’ as I am still experimenting with my music and sound as well as my image and brand as an artist and content creator. I am hoping that the year 2022 will show more collaborations with other artists and producers as well as potentially more live performances and growth.

We can’t wait to listen to the launch when it’s out and we hope to maybe one day catch a live performance too. What would your advice be to any aspiring musicians out there on getting started making music?

Don’t hold back because you feel like you don’t have the resources, and don’t wait for that one special moment that you think will kick start everything because it won’t. I spent a long time doing the bare minimum thinking ‘if I audition for this show, I’ll become famous’ or ‘If I post this one video, it’ll go viral’ because it’s not going to work. I have had my selfesteem crushed too many times because of this mindset but I’ve decided to take things into my own hands by studying marketing, saving money to pay to work with producers, artists, promoters and graphic designers. I’ve watched multiple videos online to work my way around music software and song writing. All it takes is to really have faith in yourself and not compare yourself to other creators, because there is no one like you. Cheesy, I know but it’s true. You are in charge if your life, so you need to take it into your own hands Fantastic advice, a lot do go in with that mentality of if i do this one thing it’ll go viral it is never the case you really have to go deep into this and grind it out. Let’s talk about Gaming have you always been a gamer?

Yep! Gaming has been a part of my entire family really. My mom and dad enjoy puzzle games like Siberia and Little Big Adventure 99

(old games, I know). My big brother and I got in games around the same time, fist having a GameBoy before moving on to PlayStation and PlayStation 2 to then moving on to Xbox.

Finally, my little sister followed in all of our footsteps, however, she gravitated more towards Nintendo and PlayStation because of the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts games.

It’s great to see such a big family of gamers.

What was the first games console & game you ever got the chance to play?

This is a hard one, I remember my brother having a GameBoy but I don’t actually remember playing it myself so I think I would have to say the first ever PlayStation. I remember playing Spyro and Crash Bandicoot very vaguely. My most vivid memories however would probably have to be the PlayStation 2 as I remember me and my brother fighting over who got to play the Tarzan game.

The gameboy was such an amazing little thing with the likes of Zelda and Pokemon you really missed out but the Playstation Era 1 & 2 now thats where gaming really did step up such a great platform to start your gaming journey on. What was the most memorable moment you’ve ever had from gaming?

As a kid I would have to say any time I played Halo with my brother, whether it was the campaign or playing in forge, those are the memories I look on most fondly. As an adult though, I’d have to say the time I played Tactical Slayer on Halo Infinite, I got 24 kills and 3 deaths. I’m not the greatest player so this was a great achievement for me!

Forge and campaign was always so much fun especially something to not be competitive on, Tactical Slayer is such a great game mode and that K/D is great! What would be your go to console of all time?

A: Ever since I fell in love with Halo I have been very loyal to Xbox, despite exclusively playing games on my PC now, I will always be an advocate for Xbox especially with titles like Halo, Fable and Portal, It’s hard not to love them!

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Xbox has such a great ecosystem right now and it’s continuously growing. I’m not surprised, it holds a place in many people’s hearts. What are your Top 5 Games of all time?

Easy! Halo (duh), Fable, Portal, Overwatch and Undertale Such a great top 5! glad to see a variety there too. If you had to choose one game only to play forever, what would you choose?

I would honestly have to say Halo Infinite Multiplayer, I could honestly, without a doubt, play that forever.

It is such a great multiplayer that’s for sure.

What motivates you to keep doing what you are doing from TikTok Videos to streaming on Twitch?

The fact that people see something in me that is worth following fills me with a lot of hope for the future of my music, and all I’ve ever really wanted success for is to be able to take care of my family and give my parents everything that they gave me growing up.

I know that it must be scary for any parent to watch their kid give up stability to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, but they have been troopers about it and have believed in me for so long. So, I just wanted to be able to give them a life where they don’t have to worry about any of that or anything else for the rest of their lives.

Sometimes you just have to take the leap and roll with it because you will really kick yourself if you never took that chance. We are glad to see you are really going for this and we love watching every minute and hope 2022 is the best year yet. So, let’s talk a little bit more about you! What is something that no one who watches your channel/content knows about you?

I’m super open with my community so this is a bit of a hard one. Actually! I just remembered, I don’t talk about this too often but when I was 19 years old, I saw the open casting call for Princess Jasmine in the live action Aladdin, so being me though why not! I sent in my audition 101

tape and a couple days later I got the email from Disney themselves letting me know I was shortlisted and to send in more audition material. Most iconic moment of my life! Sadly, I didn’t get the role, as you might have noticed haha.

Being shortlisted for Disney is a massive achievement in itself that’s awesome. Finally, what are you currently working on that you’d like our readers to know about/check out?

And do you have any big things planned you’d love to share for 2022?

As mentioned earlier I am currently working on my second EP which is going to feature a song that is fully orchestral in contrast to all my other heavily electronic tracks. I’m working hard behind the scenes on lots of projects for both music and Twitch but nothing I can talk about just yet!

It’s been an absolute pleasure to interview you Sabrina, We hope 2022 is the best year yet and we can’t wait for your second EP to drop.

You can check out Sabrina and all her socials plus music below, make sure to let her know The Gamer Guide sent you!

Twitch: @SabrinaTheWitxh Spotify: SABRINA YouTube: @SABRINA Instagram: @sabrinathewitxh Twitter: @BrinaTheWitxh TikTok: @sabrinathewitxh Photography credit: @Aabidahs Photography

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