Few video game characters are as iconic as Sonic the Hedgehog. The speedy little blue blur has been around for over three decades, touching every corner of pop culture along the way, from games, to comics, to TV, to blockbuster movies. But we’re here specifically to celebrate the mainline Sonic game series and pick the best of them. Before we start, let’s quickly touch upon our criteria. We tried to rank these games based on a combination of historical significance, innovation, and how well these games stand the test of time. Some games, like Sonic Adventure 1 and the original Sonic the Hedgehog, for instance, are obviously super important to the Sonic series and set the foundation for both 2D and 3D Sonic games to follow, but we felt like they both didn’t quite hold up as well as their sequels when judged by a modern standard, which was why they just missed this list. The 10 games on this list are the ones we feel are the best examples of both classic and modern Sonic style. So w...
Baldur's Gate 3 is a game full of intricate detail. With so many dialogue options, characters, classes, and quests, everyone's experience is a little bit different. Discoveries are around every corner, and the only thing seemingly separating you from success or tragedy is a dice roll. That being said, it's a lot easier to somewhat plot your destiny when you know where you're going. IGN's Baldur's Gate 3 interactive map can help guide you on your quest through Act 1, 2 and 3. See the full Baldur's Gate 3 Map for all locations We have the most updated Baldur's Gate 3 map with the location of every item, chest, enemies, NPC, and more throughout the prologue, Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. You can also check out our Baldur's Gate 3 walktrough for quests guides and details. Baldur's Gate 3 Interactive Map Currently, our Baldur's Gate 3 map features locations for the Prologue, Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. This include a Nautiloid map, a map of t...
Nintendo has promised to fix a game-breaking issue in Paper Mario: The Origami King that can keep players from progressing through the story. Light location spoilers for Paper Mario: The Origami King follow. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/14/paper-mario-the-origami-king-announcement-trailer"] On Mario and Olivia's journey to the last streamer in The Origami King, players have to collect four stamps for their Spring of Rainbows VIP card in the Shangri-Spa area. After you collect all four stamps from four different hot springs, you gain access to a secret fifth hot spring. However, once you enter the fifth hot spring, the Spring of Rainbows, you lose your VIP pass. And, the other four hot springs will not give Mario a second stamp, meaning it's impossible to regain the VIP pass after you've already used it. If you try to re-enter the Spring of Rainbows, Mario will once again be asked to show his VIP pass. So, if you leave the Spring of Rainbows b...
The Sims franchise has been an incredible success since its release in the early 2000s and to this day there haven't been any real competitors. Despite The Sims being truly one of a kind, the life simulation genre is alive and well. In The Sims, you can create your own character (known as a "Sim"), build a home for your Sim, interact with other Sims, and live out the life you want-the possibilities are endless. Players orchestrate the mundane daily activities of their Sims and their success is dependent upon the players' decisions. While nothing can truly match the full Sims experience, here are just a few games we think you'll enjoy if you like The Sims.
It's also worth noting that you can play The Sims 4 for free, so if you're just looking for the latest Sims game, that's your best bet.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley comes first to mind since it hits all of the right notes in a life simulator game. Stardew Valley is a charming town with plenty to do but focuses primarily on enjoying your character’s life to the fullest by becoming a successful farmer in a pixelated countryside. Besides farming, there's endless freedom in your day-to-day activities: building up the farm, decorating your home, woo'ing the resident characters, beating up monsters in the nearby caves, fishing, and so much more. This RPG has so many elements and secrets to keep yourself occupied. It even has an achievement system, so if you're the type of player who enjoys completing everything there is to do in a game, this is for you. The developer, ConcernedApe, has constantly updated the game since its release so there's always fresh content to explore with a thriving modding community as well to keep the game alive.
Stardew Valley creator Eric Baron has also revealed his next game to be Haunted Chocolatier, which should have a similar feel.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
This simulation game lets you take up residence on a completely deserted island where you can build a home of your dreams with several decorating options that are unlocked through gameplay. You can gift items and personalized letters to the villagers on your island, friends and family, and celebrate any holiday with multiplayer gameplay. Once you progress through the story quests, you will unlock terraforming which will allow you to shape cliffs and water, allowing you to create an island truly of your dreams. But what made Animal Crossing: New Horizons so special during the beginning of the pandemic was the daily tasks: completing the Critterpedia by catching bugs and fish, crafting DIY recipes, improving your home, and so much more.
SimCity
SimCity is the most dated in this list, the first game releasing a long time ago, but you can still play it easily enough on a desktop PC. In this simulator game, you play the mayor, and you can choose to build a world-class city complete with stadiums, airports, universities, and more. While you can't control your Sims directly, everything you do impacts their lives, and it's up to you to create a city free from natural disasters and commuter hell. So while you can't trap your Sim in a pool or in a room with a stove that's lit on fire, you can choose to let your Sims live the life of their dreams in a perfect metropolis or create a city in which they'll regret moving to.
Cities: Skylines
Just like SimCity, this simulator focuses more on building a metropolis for your Sims to live in rather than controlling your Sims directly. However, Cities: Skylines is a newer game (released in 2015) and, like The Sims, has had a steady and ongoing stream of new DLC and base game updates. Even better, the modding community (PC exclusive) has continued to churn out amazing content, offering everything from custom assets for buildings and vehicles, gameplay adjustments to increase (or reduce!) realism in the simulation, and even bug fixes to improve performance. Players can engage in urban planning by controlling zoning, road placement, taxation, public services, and public transportation of an area. If building and designing is your thing, then this simulator is for you. It's astonishing what you can build in this game; in fact, you can build replicas of real-life cities if you so desire. If you're too overwhelmed with controlling Sims and would rather build a city from the ground-up, then this one is for you.
If managing a household in the Sims is too easy, you might enjoy managing an entire zoo instead! Planet Zoo is the modern successor to Planet Coast and Zoo Tycoon which were really popular around the same time as The Sims and The Sims 2. In Planet Zoo, you can build a zoo from scratch, complete with animal exhibits, food stalls, and managing staff to work at your zoo. The staff at your zoo will gain experience as they become better at their jobs and they have a needs meter just like in the Sims. There are several modes for which you can play each with their own set of unique challenges: career mode, franchise mode, sandbox mode, and challenge mode.
House Flipper
House Flipper takes everything you love about decorating in The Sims and Animal Crossing and throws it all together into one game. You can schedule clients and renovate their homes based on a budget, with milestones to learn new skills like installing ceiling lamps and replacing broken appliances along the way. Eventually, you can make enough money from working with clients to purchase your own homes and give them complete renovations to sell at a profit.
The new House Flipper 2 is scheduled to release in Q3 of 2023.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
This life simulation game features powerful customization tools that let you create the perfect character, the perfect home, and the perfect town. There are multiple hobbies to explore like fishing, gardening, and foraging for materials to use in their crafting. Although, you do have to complete a few quests to get the essentials unlocked -- including a lot of Dreamlight Valley recipes.
If you're familiar with the Sims characters and lore, you'll be happy to know that Bella Goth makes an appearance in Dreamlight Valley. Since Disney is a family-friendly franchise that caters to small children as well as adults, it's safe to say that Disney Dreamlight Valley does not allow you to build romantic relationships, get married, or have children. This is an aspect of The Sims that is completely nonexistent in Dreamlight Valley.
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