Games Reviews

According to relevant media reports, a 17-year-old has spent $25,000 on the Monopoly GO app to get the props he needs in the game. Although the game itself can be played for free, many users have found that the shocking expenses they have paid in the game have far exceeded their expectations.

Game Expenses Accumulate, The Proportion Of Expenses Has Expanded

And these worrying amounts of money are just used to quickly unlock the rewards in the game, even faster than the expenses of obtaining any other real items offline. According to the parents of a Monopoly GO player, these microtransactions generated based on the game platform will soon be accumulated, and eventually generate a considerable amount of expenses in a subtle way.

Unlike other games, there is no cash for skins, loot or unlockasble related items in Monopoly GO. Instead, microtransactions will win players the resources needed for games such as Monopoly GO Dice.

However, this is not an isolated case, and this teenager is not the first person to spend too much money on game apps. According to the investigation, a user claimed that after spending $1,000 on Monopoly GO to obtain the corresponding Monopoly GO Stickers and other resources, he could not control his huge game expenses and finally had to choose to delete it to stop his continued spending.

For a game that can be played for free, this is already a huge cash expenditure. However, it is scary that some families have quietly discovered that they have unknowingly invested 5% of their family expenses in related games.

Losses Of Microtransactions In Games For Underage Users Are Difficult To Solve

A Reddit user claimed that their 17-year-old stepdaughter spent $25,000 on more than 350 different types of Monopoly GO related resources in the App Store. Although the post has been deleted, the problem it reflects is exactly what many parents are paying close attention to.

The stepparents came to Reddit hoping that the company’s relevant personnel could provide official and authoritative solutions and suggestions for this problem. After all, the girl is a minor and may lack relevant legal awareness and legal responsibilities as the subject of the behavior.

But the results are not optimistic for them. Many users have also commented on some social media platforms and game platforms, and the problem they are targeting is that Monopoly GO’s terms of service require game users to be responsible for all they spent, such as some stars vaults in the game. Even if these expenditures are unintentional, cannot be recovered afterwards.

In fact, this clause is not uncommon for freemium games. One of the reasons why Pokemon TCG Pocket earned more than $200 million in revenue in the first month alone was to encourage further microtransactions on the game platform.

Why Are In-game Microtransactions Constantly Criticized By Players?

It is not the first time that news such as “a teenager spent tens of thousands of dollars on Monopoly GO” has appeared, and it is not the first time that the phenomenon of additional spending in the game has been criticized.

It is worth noting that, in most cases, microtransaction spending on Monopoly GO does not bring long-term benefits. There are few collectibles in the game, and most things are just short-lived and cannot be owned for a long time.

And players can’t even look back at the sticker albums they have successfully collected after long efforts. Once the album is completed or ended, they will disappear. So, all signs indicate that it is really worth it for players to invest so much real money in the game?

Disputes Between Game Users And Companies Are Common

According to the survey, Take-Two Interactive settled a dispute with users in the game-related microtransaction model in 2022. Just one year later, in 2023, an NBA 2K player filed a class action lawsuit against Take-Two Interactive’s microtransaction model. It can be seen that players of different types of games are dissatisfied with the unreasonable microtransaction phenomenon in the game.

Even if this particular Monopoly GO case is unlikely to actually go to court in the end, its typicality does make it one of the cases where a player or a relative of a player is angry about in-app consumption in the game.

Huge Profits Prompt Game Companies To Support The Development Of Microtransactions

Diablo 4 players have spent more than $150 million on the game platform in total. It is not difficult to see why the game industry is so dependent on microtransactions on the platform, because this expense brings too much profit to game companies.

And it is much easier to encourage players to spend a few dollars at a time to get the corresponding currency or gold than to get the equivalent real goods offline at one time.

This feature also makes many gamers less interested in the microtransaction model. Because the microtransaction model may mislead players in a short period, some players think they have taken a slight advantage, but they don’t know that in fact it will cause them to spend more than they originally spent.

Although, unfortunately, this Reddit user may not be able to get back the amount he has invested in the game. However, for other users, this is undoubtedly an excellent lesson. Since it is so easy to invest enormous expenses in Monopoly GO and other similar games and it is irreversible, you can imagine how terrible the price you and your family have to pay for it is.

Whether the design of using yellow paint to mark interactive background objects in FF7 Rebirth is effective has recently caused discussion among players. This yellow paint is used to highlight rocks on certain walls to remind players where to climb and advance the game.

Some players think this is similar to the use of yellow paint to highlight puzzles or destructible boxes in Resident Evil 4. This destroys the immersion of the game, interrupts the process of players thinking about coping strategies, and reduces the difficulty of the game.

But this is a good game design in FF7 Rebirth. It does not destroy the difficulty of the game. Instead, it is a reminder to help some novice players adapt to the game as soon as possible.

FF7 Rebirth’s Yellow Paint Saves Players Valuable Game Time

Since Final Fantasy 7 is a complete game story, the three different themes are just reasonable segments of the story plot. So for novice players who are new to this game, the game time required to complete Final Fantasy 7 and Resident Evil 4 is completely different.

According to statistics, it takes about 50 hours to complete the main content of FF7 Rebirth, plus other side content, it takes at least 100 hours to complete the experience of all the game content. It is conceivable how long it takes to complete all three games.

Considering such a huge game system, these designs of the developer are really beneficial to players, especially novice players, in saving game time. It gives novice players more time to collect Final Fantasy VII Gil to upgrade weapons and Materias.

Besides the extremely long time required to complete the game plot experience, the game map of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is also very large, and many side quests are hidden in inconspicuous corners of the map, which requires players to remember the map skillfully and be good at finding some inconspicuous paths.

Some players who are not familiar with the map often get lost, and they spend a lot of time moving around the map to find side quests. The rocks marked with yellow paint can help players better judge where there are paths that can be passed, which save time wasted on repeated running.

Although some players will complain that these yellow-painted rocks affect their gaming experience, it is actually a good thing for most players who want to experience the game plot as quickly as possible.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Is Not A Rock Climbing Game

The core content of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is not rock climbing. If it was just rock climbing, players would not need to spend so much time to experience the game. Combat, story plot and exploration of the big world are the core content of the entire game.

The battle difficulty of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is relatively simple, but there are also some more challenging bosses. The most worthwhile experience of FF7 Rebirth is actually the story plot of the game and some personal stories of each character. These contents will not be affected by adding yellow paint to the rocks.

It is worth noting that the yellow paint used to represent the climbable rocks is not a very bright color. The game developers did not use bright yellow but a relatively low-saturation yellow, which was painted on the rocks while retaining the original texture of the rocks. These rocks will not be particularly abrupt on the wall, but they will not be completely integrated with the background to make it difficult for players to find them.

If this is a climbing game, then not using yellow paint is the right choice. It will reduce the challenge of the game. However, in FF7 Rebirth, climbing is just a form, it does not require precise timing or precise aiming at a certain place. So, removing the yellow paint will only make climbing more troublesome.

Yellow Paint May Be An Important Auxiliary Tool To Retain Players

Yellow paint can help players quickly distinguish which game object libraries are interactive and which are just game backgrounds. This may be redundant for old players, but it is essential for new players. Because no one wants to start a game that may take 50 hours to complete and waste a lot of time because they can’t find the way up the mountain, which will seriously affect the enthusiasm of these players.

For one of the best games in 2024, no one wants to see it lose numerous new players just because the way to the game is difficult to find. Even if the yellow paint affects the experience of some players, I still hope that FF7 Rebirth can be loved by more people.

Not All Games Need Yellow Paint To Mark

If yellow paint is used as a mark, it will destroy the experience of the game, such as the game Uncharted. It requires players to find places to climb for subsequent decryption. If yellow paint appears, players will feel that the game is too easy, which greatly reduces the game experience. In this regard, Star Wars Outlaws provides a better solution, which is that players can choose whether to need such a mark. It is obvious that FF7 Rebirth differs completely from them.

Many players are already dissatisfied with the side content in FF7 Rebirth. They think that these side quests are too boring and waste a lot of precious game time. It is hard to imagine how much such dissatisfaction will be exacerbated if these yellow paints are removed. Although not all situations should add yellow paint marks, it must be the right choice for FF7 Rebirth.

Soulslike games have been around for quite some time. And it looks like this year will be the best year yet for Soulslike games. Both existing games and upcoming games are very popular. If current expectations can be met, fans will have a feast of Soulslike games.

It looks like there will be a lot of new games that are completely unrelated to existing Soulslike games, which will bring new content to fans. Of course, rumors about Lies of P 2 have never stopped, although its resurgence is just a beautiful vision for players.

However, Elden Ring Nightreign will bring a new situation to Soulslike games in 2025. Fans can continue to pay attention to the developments of Elden Ring Nightreign.

Elden Ring Nightreign: Changes In Soulslike Games In 2025

Elden Ring Nightreign made its debut at 2024 Game Awards Ceremony and was known to fans. The game developer plans to release it in 2025, and there may be more details about the game released to fans in the future.

The reason why Elden Ring Nightreign is expected by players is that FromSoftware has not released a sequel. Although Shadow of the Erdtree, as a DLC, impressed players, it only added a map and brought some new weapons, shields and talismans that can be exchanged with Elden Ring Runes, and there was no new plot progress. The release of Elden Ring Nightreign means that Elden Ring may have a complete sequel, and there will be new storylines for players, so Elden Ring Nightreign is more anticipated by fans.

Although the developer insists that this is a completely independent game, in a sense, this may also be a “sequel”. In short, Elden Ring Nightreign will still have challenges due to some innovations in the game, but it is still worth looking forward to for players.

The Issue Of The Revival Of Lies Of P 2 Is Still A Mystery

At present, most of the news about this game is still rumors, and there is no content worth referring to. For the development of the game, there is still a lot of content worth discussing. Lies of P is the first game in the series. It was a big hit when it was released in 2023, making it a household name in Soulslike games. This brings two possibilities for the release of the second part.

One is that the developer continues to remain silent and weather the storm of rumors. The other possibility is that the developer will take advantage of the situation and release Lies of P 2 to show its difference from other Soulslike games.

But in either case, Lies of P 2 will not catch up with the wave of releases in 2025, because the development time of a game takes at least 3 years. But players can still expect developers to release game details and dates for possible new games.

New Soulslike Games Are Fiercely Competitive In 2025

Not all Soulslike games have such a huge background support. There will be many new Soulslike games competing this year. For example, The Relic: First Guardian and The First Berserker: Khazan, there are six new games that have attracted the attention of players this year. Two of them stand out.

The first one is Soulframe developed by Digital Extremes. Soulframe is bound to get a lot of good press as it is the developer behind Warframe. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is more controversial, but fortunately the recent trailer has reversed its reputation and it is still a very strong competitor.

It is precisely because of so many developers that 2025 will be the most critical year for Soulslike games. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for players who want to learn about this type of game now.

The trailer released by Rockstar a few months ago caused a carnival among players, because this trailer represents the upcoming game, Grand Theft Auto 6.

In recent months, many media have made predictions about GTA 6. They estimate that GTA 6 will bring Rockstar $3 billion in revenue in the first year. Such speculation is not groundless. At least from the perspective of Rockstar’s fan base, they have been waiting for this game for a long time.

Prediction Of GTA 6

Rockstar’s GTA 6 is expected to be released on Xbox Series X and S and PlayStation 5 in the fall of 2025. However, Rockstar did not disclose whether GTA 6 will be available on PC.

According to the forecast of the British Financial Daily, GTA 6 will exceed $1 billion in pre-orders before its release. Video research agency DFC Intelligence predicts that GTA 6 will bring Rockstar $3 billion in profits in December after its release.

Strauss Zelnick, the boss of Rockstar’s parent company Take-Two, humbly said that he would not declare victory until GTA 6 is truly successful. However, he is sure that GTA 6 will be another extraordinary work brought by Rockstar.

GTA 6 is not only predicted to have high revenue but also has development costs that cannot be ignored. The Financial Times estimates that the development cost of GTA 6 may be as high as $2 billion.

In any case, the media seems to have placed too much expectations on GTA 6. Since 2022, the game industry has experienced a cold winter, and more than 33,000 people have lost their jobs. Game companies such as Microsoft and Sony have also carried out large-scale layoffs.

Game companies hope that GTA 6 can rekindle players’ interest in games and revive the game industry. At the same time, console manufacturers such as Sony are also confident that GTA 6 is the kind of game that can attract players to play consoles.

Why Are Media Confident About GTA 6?

This is not surprising, because the Grand Theft Auto series has always been one of Rockstar’s most popular series, and their last work was GTA 5, which was released in 2013. At that time, GTA 5 made Rockstar earn $1 billion in just three days, which was a miracle in the entire history of games.

In the past decade or so, GTA 5 has become a work that almost every gamer will own, and this game has indeed stood the test of time. To this day, the number of players playing GTA 5 is still very large, and the only game that has been released for many years and still remains active seems to be Elder Scrolls 5.

On the other hand, it is the excellent game quality of Rockstar Studio. The quality of Rockstar series games gives players confidence that they will not make failed works, and the biggest contributor should be Red Dead Redemption 2.

There is no need to say much about the excellence of Red Dead Redemption 2. This game released in 2018 is still top-notch in terms of graphics. And the story of Arthur Morgan proves to players that Rockstar has the ability to tell a good story. With these two guarantees, players are so looking forward to GTA 6.

Don’t Be Overly Optimistic

Although GTA 6 is destined to cause a stir in the gaming industry in 2025, there will still be some factors that will affect GTA 6’s sales.

Optimization

Rockstar’s optimization is good, but GTA 6 is huge, and no one can guarantee what kind of finished product Rockstar will present to players. Most players will not choose to pre-order because they are worried that the optimization is not good enough and their devices will not be able to run the game normally. Players have suffered from the disastrous first release of 2077, and now they will be more cautious.

Platform

There is no news yet whether GTA6 will be available on PC, and players don’t know how long GTA6 will be exclusive to the host platform. There are quite a few GTA players who are accustomed to playing games on PC, and most of them will not buy a host for a game area. If GTA 6 is delayed in logging into the PC platform, its sales will definitely be affected.

Competition

GTA 6 will not be the only game in 2025. There will be many excellent games released next year, such as Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Monster Hunter Wild, Borderlands 4, Death Stranding 2, etc. These games are potential competitors of GTA 6.

In short, everyone is looking forward to the release of GTA 6, and players can’t wait to start their second life to rob some money in Miami. Will GTA 6 bring revolutionary changes to the game industry this time? Will GTA 6 be a next-generation game? Let’s wait and see.