Author: Obsidian

Escaping the Free-to-Play Grind in Aces of Thunder For over a decade, Gaijin Entertainment’s War Thunder has dominated the military vehicle combat market. It boasts an incredible physics engine and a massive roster of historical aircraft. However, it also famously features one of the most punishing, soul-crushing free-to-play grinds in modern gaming. Unlocking a top-tier plane can take hundreds of hours or hundreds of dollars. Enter Aces of Thunder. Released early last month, this standalone, premium title is essentially Gaijin’s olive branch to the hardcore simulation community. For a flat $30 entry fee, it completely strips away the microtransactions, the…

A Ninja’s Journey Begins in Voxel Form Every so often, an indie game slips onto the Steam storefront with little fanfare but an undeniable sense of charm. Katana Dragon: Chapter 1, developed by the Spanish indie studio Tsunoa Games, is exactly that kind of hidden gem. At first glance, it looks like Minecraft Dungeons crossed with 3D Dot Game Heroes. But dig a little deeper, and you will find a love letter to the classic top-down Legend of Zelda games (think A Link to the Past or Minish Cap), entirely constructed from beautiful, handcrafted voxel art. Graduating from its Early…

All Aboard the Sequel Express When Monster Train 2 launched last year, it had massive shoes to fill. The original game was a watershed moment for the roguelike deckbuilder genre, offering a multi-floor, tower-defense twist on the formula popularized by Slay the Spire. Thankfully, the sequel didn’t just iterate; it evolved, introducing deeper mechanics, richer clans like the Luna Coven and Underlegion, and beautifully refined vertical combat. Now, almost a year later, developer Shiny Shoe has released the game’s first paid DLC: Destiny of the Railforged. Priced at a very reasonable $9.99, this expansion adds a brand-new clan, fresh enemies,…

Welcome to the Colony… Wait, Wrong Game If you have been craving a Viking game that trades the mythological superpowers of God of War or Assassin’s Creed Valhalla for mud, blood, and turn-based shield walls, NORSE: Oath of Blood might just be the raiding party you’ve been waiting for. Released just yesterday, February 17, 2026, by Norwegian developer Arctic Hazard and publisher Tripwire Presents, this game promises a grounded, gritty take on the Viking Age. It’s XCOM with axes. It’s Expeditions: Viking with a higher production budget. It’s… currently sitting at “Mixed” reviews on Steam. Why the mixed reception? Is…

The “It” Factor They say puzzle games are a hard sell on Steam. In a marketplace dominated by high-octane shooters and sprawling 100-hour RPGs, a game that asks you to sit quietly and think about moving blocks can often get lost in the shuffle. But every once in a while, a title emerges that simply has “it.” Today, that title is HAMSTERMIND. HAMSTERMIND, released today, February 16, 2026, is one of those games. Developed by the French indie team Righteous Tree, this title might look like a casual romp for children at first glance. It features a cute hamster in…

The wait is over. After 18 years of exclusivity, Metal Gear Solid 4 is coming to modern consoles and PC. Plus: Peace Walker, Ghost Babel, and confirmation for the Nintendo Switch 2. For nearly two decades, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has been the white whale of video game preservation. Trapped on the PlayStation 3 due to the Cell Processor’s complex architecture, fans believed it might never see a native port to other hardware. Today, Konami proved them wrong. During Sony Interactive’s State of Play showcase, Konami officially unveiled Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2. The…