Castlevania’s defining trait, since the beginning, is that it’s better than it has any right to be. I’m talking about the animated series on Netflix, which found its groove in Season 2 by combining surprisingly articulate conversations between murderous vampires and ruminations on loss and legacy with explosive action sequences. You could say the same about the original ’80s videogame, too, which gave a guy a whip and made him face off against a pastiche of horror movie baddies like mummies and Frankenstein’s monster before slaying Dracula.
That flimsy premise somehow sprawled into dozens of games, some of them among the best ever made. Turns out you can’t get much cooler than a guy with a whip, if you draw him right.
Season 2 of Castlevania: Nocturne, the centuries-later continuation of Netflix’s original Castlevania series, features the best drawings of a guy with a whip yet made by human hands. Granted, the team at Powerhouse Animation are pretty much just competing against themselves at this point—the fluid, snaking whip cracks that impressed in the first couple seasons of Castlevania now look pedestrian next to the superhuman stuff Richter Belmont pulls off in the second half of this season. His whip is so alive, so frequently charged up with a crackling coating of electricity or shards of magical ice as it dismembers a vampire that it almost feels like he’s cheating.
How’d this guy so thoroughly out-whip and out-cool his great-great-great-etc.-grandfather Trevor Belmont from the original series? Generational wealth, man. Nothing beats it.
The first season of Nocturne was a reset, proving that the series could continue on by adapting a new game with new characters, and without original writer Warren Ellis, who was accused of sexual misconduct by more than 60 women in 2020. It features a wickedly good villain and turns Castlevania: Rondo of Blood’s generic damsel Annette into an Afro-Caribbean slave turned revolutionary with earthbending witchcraft powers drawn from her ancestors, perhaps the best argument for ignoring the source material ever made. It ambitiously grounds the vampire action in the real French Revolution of the late 1700s and earnestly tries to connect the immortal lives of vampires to the political turmoil that feels so urgent—so new—to the young humans fighting demons and the aristocracy all at once.
(Image credit: Netflix)
On ideas and ambition it’s the best the series has ever been, but Nocturne Season 2 wastes too much time flitting back and forth between its characters for the first four episodes without meaningfully pushing their stories forward. It’s a strange cadence, with short conversations often retreading the same emotional beats. I found myself sorely missing the longer, more overtly philosophical speeches and exchanges in the original show.
Those slow, thoughtful/dark/funny/weird scenes came to define Netflix’s Castlevania just as much as its action. It was the odd balance of the two, so unexpected in an adaptation of a series where you smash in secret walls to find roasted turkeys and snag hearts hidden in candelabras, that made the show a rare treasure.
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Nocturne just doesn’t quite have the same flair for words or pacing, first dragging its heels and then rushing to its conclusion. There was room for more quality time between Richter and Annette and the world-weary Alucard, who pulls off one action move ripped straight from Symphony of the Night that had me howling. There could’ve been time for some more indulgent speeches with sharper plotting across the eight episodes to make better use of the supporting cast, which is even more varied and interesting than the original show’s.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Those missteps hold Nocturne back from greatness, but my god, what a spectacle it is when Powerhouse Animation goes all-out; the time, skill, and budget poured into this season’s fights tower above everything they’ve done before.
I’ll be rewatching clips of these fights for years to come.
I’ll be rewatching clips of these fights for years to come. Trying to describe them would be pointless. Just be prepared to finish the series and immediately yearn for the Castlevania game that makes you feel even 1% as badass as Richter at peak performance. Only Konami could squander advertising this good and not have a single new Castlevania game to show for the eight years this show’s been running. Ah, well; Vampire Survivors or Dead Cells it is, then.
Nocturne teases a mystery that could unravel into a third season, but it also culminates in such a relentlessly escalating battle that there’s a sense of Powerhouse leaving it all on the field here. What’s left, really? Bringing back Dracula just to kill him again? Maybe this is where it should end. But as long as there’s still a whip, I’ll be there for the next one.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737052131_Castlevania-Nocturne-Season-2-both-rushes-and-drags-but-finally.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2025-01-16 18:02:242025-01-16 18:02:24Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 both rushes and drags, but finally arrives at its best action scenes ever
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ASSASSINS-CREED-4-NEW-CITY-JERUSALEM-ALTAIR-NEVER.jpg7201280DecayeD20https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngDecayeD202025-01-16 15:00:242025-01-16 15:00:24ASSASSIN’S CREED #4 | NEW CITY JERUSALEM – ALTAIR NEVER STOP
Cut straight through today’s puzzle with a quick click-through to the answer to today’s Wordle answer if you want to—some days the simplest solution is the best one. Or use our tips to polish your own ideas until they shine, and make use of the January 16 (1307) hint if you’d like someone to point you in the right direction. However you enjoy Wordle, we can help you win.
An absolute disaster of an opener was more helpful than I initially gave it credit for. Fine. If Wordle was going to be like that, then I may as well just type in whatever the heck I like and… almost instantly stumble upon today’s answer. Neat. Not exactly smart. But definitely neat.
Today’s Wordle hint
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)
Wordle today: A hint for Thursday, January 16
Today’s answer is the name of a hard grey stone, used in ancient times to make crude tools and weapons, and when struck will produce a spark capable of starting a fire.
Is there a double letter in Wordle today?
No, there is not a double letter in today’s puzzle.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
If you’re new to the daily Wordle puzzle or you just want a refresher after taking a break, I’ll share some quick tips to help you win. There’s nothing quite like a small victory to set you up for the rest of the day.
A mix of unique consonants and vowels makes for a solid opening word.
A tactical second guess should let you narrow down the pool of letters quickly.
There may be a repeat letter in the answer.
You’re not up against a timer, so you’ve got all the time in the world—well, until midnight—to find the winning word. If you’re stuck, there’s no shame in coming back to the puzzle later in the day and finishing it up when you’ve cleared your head.
Today’s Wordle answer
(Image credit: Future)
What is today’s Wordle answer?
Need a little help? The answer to the January 16 (1307) Wordle is FLINT.
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Previous Wordle answers
The last 10 Wordle answers
Keeping track of the last handful of Wordle answers can help to eliminate current possibilities. It’s also handy for inspiring opening words or subsequent guesses if you’re short on ideas for the day.
Here are the last 10 Wordle answers:
January 15: KNACK
January 14: FANCY
January 13: CLOAK
January 12: TOTAL
January 11: DINGY
January 10: CRAWL
January 9: WAFER
January 8: DRAFT
January 7: ATLAS
January 6: SPRIG
Learn more about Wordle
(Image credit: Nurphoto via Getty)
Wordle presents you with six rows of five boxes every day and the aim is to figure out the correct five-letter word by entering guesses and eliminating or confirming individual letters.
Getting off to a good start with a strong word like ARISE—something containing multiple vowels, common consonants, and no repeat letters—is a good tactic. Once you hit Enter, the boxes will show you which letters you’ve got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn’t in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you’ve got the right letter in the right spot.
Your second guess should compliment the starting word, using another “good” word to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn’t present in today’s answer. With a bit of luck, you should have some coloured squares to work with and set you on the right path.
After that, it’s just a case of using what you’ve learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there’s an E). Don’t forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you’d like to find out which words have already been used, you can scroll to the relevant section above.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn’t long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
If you’ve ever thought to yourself that what you really want from life is a videogame inspired by Romanian folkore, David Lynch, and heavy metal, then wow, this is your lucky day. Because the “dark fantasy hack-and-slash adventure” called Moroi, set to launch in early 2025, claims to be exactly that.
Moroi takes place within the Cosmic Engine, “a personalized hellscape” to which you’ve apparently been exiled in order to serve eternal penance for unspecified (but presumably really bad) misdeeds. Escape is the priority, naturally, and with it the discovery of “the truth” and an opportunity to set things right. But that will require dealing with the Cosmic Engine’s “disturbing and grotesque inhabitants,” using an array of mix-and-match weaponry supporting both ranged and melee playstyles.
Violence is the answer, as is the way with videogames, but it’s not the only answer. Players will also be confronted with “a myriad of environmental and logic puzzles,” which you’ll solve by doing things like—and this is a direct quote—”drinking blood, forcing regurgitation, and digging through viscera. Fun.”
“Designed especially to torment you, the Cosmic Engine will stop at nothing to keep you contained,” the Steam listing says. “Several playthroughs of Moroi will be required to experience all the game has to offer, from subtle changes within the story to the multiple fate-changing endings.”
It’s a lot to take in, and whether it will come together in a game that lives up to its early billing remains to be seen. But that’s a hell of a trailer, and it’s got me curious enough to want to know more.
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(Image credit: Violet Saint)
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(Image credit: Violet Saint)
(Image credit: Violet Saint)
(Image credit: Violet Saint)
(Image credit: Violet Saint)
(Image credit: Violet Saint)
One final thing: A moroi, according to Wikipedia, is a type of vampire or ghost found in Romanian folklore, often associated with strigoi, another type of vampire—but, as with most such mythical figures, their exact nature varies depending on the source and story. Moroi also appear in Phasmaphobia as a ghost that “will curse a player (causing bigger sanity losses) for asking questions through a spirit box.”
Moroi is currently expected to be out in early 2025, and is available for wishlisting now on Steam.
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https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1736980028_Romanian-folklore-David-Lynch-and-heavy-metal-come-together-in.jpg6761200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2025-01-15 21:04:292025-01-15 21:04:29Romanian folklore, David Lynch, and heavy metal come together in a dark fantasy hack-and-slash action game ‘with an even darker sense of humor’
The first four episodes of Beast Games have now aired, the beginnings of what is likely to be a long-term collaboration between the world’s most popular YouTuber and Amazon Prime. Beast Games is inspired by both Netflix’s Squid Game and the most popular video on MrBeast’s channel, “$456,000 Squid Game in Real Life!“, and the basic setup is 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million prize while being brutally eliminated via simple team games and in some cases psychological tests.
Squid Game is one of Netflix’s breakout hits, with the second series out now, a fluorescent and creepy tale of what desperate people will do for money, and the people who exploit them and watch. The show’s twist, which is a minor spoiler though it becomes clear early in the series, is that these childrens’ games are deadly, and the losers do not walk away. One of the threads in the series is how different contestants deal with this realisation, and each other, while coping with the degrading and unsafe conditions they’re kept in en masse between events.
Beast Games is aiming to be Squid Game without the literal death, but in the amount of money involved and how things start to play out the similarities and differences between the two shows comes into stark relief. Squid Game is all about what desperate people will do for money, the extremes of behaviour they can be tempted into, and the people who exploit them and watch and play on the greed. So is Beast Games.
Unleashed?
“This is just a glitzed-up equivalent of making paupers fight for scraps.”
MrBeast’s own Squid Game-inspired video remains his most popular upload, and led to Amazon signing him up for Beast Games. (Image credit: MrBeast)
From the off Beast Games foregrounds two things: MrBeast himself, who in this slightly more traditional ‘game show host’ role is even more mannequin-like than usual; and the “the life-changing record-shattering” $5 million dollar reward. The first episode then makes one of the big reveals that runs through Beast Games’ whole setup: MrBeast and his flunkies (more on them later) have a lot more money than $5 million to give away, and nakedly bribing contestants is a quick way to thin out the crowd and get some easy drama.
As for those contestants, there is a certain kind of performative angst that underlies almost everything about how people present themselves on a show like this, the same behaviour you see from a child told to be extra-appreciative of their Christmas presents. Every announcement, no matter how banal, is greeted with someone clapping their hands to their head and exclaiming “oh my god” or “this is crazy!”
One contestant is there to win to help out the homeless. Another wants to give it to her community. Others freely admit they are in it to buy “gold chains” or just straight-up change their own life, and fair enough. These little moral moments are the stock-in-trade for most US reality/game shows, but are brought into stark relief by the sheer amount of money being thrown around and the show itself constantly pounding the drum about “the biggest cash prize ever!”
The first challenge involves, according to MrBeast, a “one meelion” prize that will be shared by any competitors that quit right now. It’s not surprising that many choose to do so, 52 eventually choosing to go home with just under $20K each. It’s grim to see a camera trained on a young woman’s face, as she talks about what her family would think of her for turning down this sizeable chunk of cash—she’ll go on to be eliminated and receive nothing—before it cuts away to the next victim.
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These people are victims. There’s no crime and of course they all signed ridiculous NDAs to get a shot at the loot, but this is just a glitzed-up equivalent of making paupers fight for scraps. Desperation is the scent of the whole show, as distinct as brie behind the radiator, and the way the contestants are manipulated amps this up: What is this worth to you? Imagine what you could do with this money! But then that is the secret behind MrBeast’s seismic popularity: He got there through virality and stunts, but stays there by giving the people what we want. It is still bread and circuses.
The second game of the first episode is where things threaten to become nigh-unbearable for the sane viewer. The contestants are split into rows and told one member of each row must self-eliminate for the rest of the row to progress: The last three rows to have a sacrifice will be eliminated entirely from the game.
Could you put it more on-the-nose? The shrieking and bartering and second-guessing that instantly, brazenly follows from competitors (well, the ones they included in the edit) is just grotesque, a masterclass for students of insincerity and dotted with these sad moments where some soul is peer-pressured, by their grinning teammates, into sacrificing themselves “for the greater good” of people they don’t know in a team that was formed minutes ago.
These people will do anything, these people will say anything: And some will say good for them. At the end the cameras capture one man screaming into the camera, neck tendons straining, “yeah! We made it! We made it!”
If you think this can’t get more nauseating, the losing contestants are then literally dropped through a hole: The panel they’re standing on disappears, and they’re yoinked down into the abyss while MrBeast says something like “you didn’t think we could drop 80 people?” I have never thought that in my life and yet here MrBeast is, on my television screen, doing it.
It’s during these tasks that MrBeast’s gormless co-presenters are given most screen time and, honestly, all they do is yell things at people. The real ick factor though is their clear sense of self-superiority over the meat, something that literally comes from the top: As MrBeast looks down on the massed contestants in episode two he says “they look like ants.” There’s a point later on where the crowd has to move towards MrBeast on the ground for the next task, and as soon as it does one of the flunkeys blurts out “it’s scary.” MrBeast considers this, and responds “it’s like a zombie horde.”
The set is both expensive-looking and grotesque, with the centrepiece for the second episode looking like a multi-storey car park bisected by a giant elevator shaft. MrBeast and flunkies ride up and down between the four floors, and at points even take their scissor lift close to the peons for some words of condescension.
What’s odd is how cheap the games themselves feel next to all this set dressing and the obscene amount of money being thrown around. The first game in episode two sees both teams catching balls that drop from multiple holes in the roof, which no matter how many effects you overlay in post-processing is hard to get too excited about. The most fun thing about it is the ludicrous attempt to make this gaudy spectacle seem sinister by having two characters dressed like dime store versions of Squid Game’s Front Man dropping the (bright red!) balls into a pipe.
These characters hang about and are used for various establishing shots but it’s all a bit awkward because there’s nothing for them to do, really, beyond some part-time event work. MrBeast and the flunkeys are in control and set the tone, histrionic and narcissistic to the core.
The chintzy feel of the games persists. The second game is yet another self-sacrifice challenge where contestants have to give themselves up so their team survives. The “twist” is a pair of curtains separating the teams (so they can’t see how many of the other team have sacrificed) alongside a phone line connecting them. Two episodes in and this is already repeating a game concept and adding little twists to justify the formula. Things do pick up in later episodes, but this is not quite what you expect from the most expensive series ever made.
MrBeast’s major sin as a presenter is that he doesn’t have a discernible sense of humour. There are lukewarm gags scattered throughout his script, but the guy’s only delivery is a bark and he can’t even manage decent banter with the guests. One of his favourite words is “insane” and, yes, a lot of what you’re watching probably does fit that definition: But he doesn’t mean it that way, and lacks the wit and self-awareness to see why others might.
That’s the most baffling thing to me about the MrBeast phenomenon. There’s a wildly successful persona there, but just no personality: The man is not for us to know beyond a gurning cipher.
MrBeast stands on that pile of money while contestants are “screaming at him like he’s a god“, but the real God is the money. It is what everyone genuflects towards, it is $5 million, the alpha and the omega, with contestants dropping like flies as bribes are offered. But there are surprising moments: at one point four team leaders refuse a bribe that rises to a million dollars, which would give them the cash and a pass to the next round but doom their dozens of teammates. Watched on by the people they’d screw-over, and goaded by MrBeast and crew, none of them take it and every team goes through.
In the next round one of those “heroes” is eliminated after he gets an unlucky sandwich. He turned down a million dollars and goes out with nothing. But this is what we’re here for really: Not the winners but the losers, the awesome devastation that MrBeast and his crew can unleash with numbers, the capriciousness and cruelty of fate being visited on others.
“This is diabolical!” shouts one contestant in glee. Well, yes, but maybe not in that way. I always thought the name was stupid but maybe MrBeast as a persona makes some kind of sense, the human touch of the pronoun framing animalism.
There’s a sequence where the contestants are set up to take part in a sack race. As the games go this one is relatively low-stakes, but then shows the contestants bumping around and falling over to classical music in slow motion, aping a signature Squid Game technique: As if ripping off the concept wasn’t enough.
It only accentuates the differences. The parts in Squid Game where the contestants see their accumulating prize always come after a scene of horror, with the various reactions lingered-over and, at times, the mere thought of the money inspiring terrible subsequent acts. In Beast Games, you just get repeated shots of MrBeast and piles of money and people screaming about it. Then the timer starts, the cameras roll, they grasp for it, and we gawp.
There are those who will rightly point out that Beast Games isn’t really doing anything new for a game show. At bottom these things are about people competing for prizes of one sort or another, and the only new thing here is the scale that Amazon enables. But that scale is so breathtakingly large thanks to Amazon’s millions that the culture it’s celebrating is stark, the YouTube fantasyland of “epic” giveaways and fratboys showering dollars on the great unwashed, each contestant a stick to beat the others with.
Beast Games is a unique product of our times, a mirror to a society rife with excess and disparity, where the haves say “jump” and the have-nots says “how high?” But I think what makes it stick in my craw is the presentation of all of this as aspirational, like it’s some sort of life achievement to become the lab rat pulling levers in hope of a reward. That’s entertainment, I suppose. So why am I not entertained?
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1736943961_MrBeasts-YouTube-schtick-is-somehow-even-worse-with-the-obscene.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2025-01-15 12:21:302025-01-15 12:21:30MrBeast’s YouTube schtick is somehow even worse with the obscene Amazon money being pumped into Beast Games
In these busy days of live service multiplayer games it’s always good to have a few singleplayer shooters on your radar, and today a new FPS was announced from VG Entertainment, headed up by former Stalker: Call of Pripyat dev Ruslan Didenko.
Forest Reigns is an ’emergent’ FPS set in a post-apocalyptic Paris not ravaged by war or radiation but plantlife. The City of Light has been reclaimed by nature: vines choke the lamp posts, greenery grows up the sides of buildings, grass covers the asphalt, and a massive, twisted tree trunk winds itself around La Tour Eiffel. Mother Nature is back and she seems pretty pissed off.
You’re there too, with some high-tech weaponry and a few tricks to turn these weird sentient plants into your allies. In this gameplay trailer secured by IGN, we see a few brief firefights against enemy agents where the player uses all that invasive greenery to their advantage.
Forest Reigns – Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer – YouTube
Popping a round into a giant root causes it to expand, giving the player cover to crouch behind while shooting. Glowing orange orbs also sprout from the trunk which, when shot, will explode, burning your enemies. Shooting another type of plant causes it to react by blasting out spores, which appears to be the only way to injure some of the heavily armored boars patrolling Paris’ streets. We also see exploding fruit chucked like grenades, tangling vines ensnaring enemy soldiers, and other weird plant-based hijinx.
“It isn’t just part of the environment—it’s a conscious entity with its own desires and intentions. Interact with it to reveal its mysteries, use it for defeating enemies, or face its wrath as it reacts to your choices,” says the Steam page. “Resources are scarce, and danger is constant. Craft, scavenge, and plan ahead. Adapt to this green new world or become natural selection’s next victim.”
It looks kinda trippy, like Atomic Heart meets Stalker, and the nature-ravaged city is beautifully imagined, from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe to several other French landmarks I should probably know the names of. There’s no word on a release date for Forest Reigns, but here’s the official website.
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https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1736907905_Former-Stalker-dev-reveals-new-FPS-set-in-a-post-apocalyptic.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2025-01-15 00:45:222025-01-15 00:45:22Former Stalker dev reveals new FPS set in a post-apocalyptic Paris that’s been overrun by sentient trees
I’m going to be honest here, I don’t think I’ve ever quite understood why the average person would be interested in a 4K webcam for 4K prices.
I think there’s a real purpose if you’re a streamer and want the absolute best clarity but, with the likes of Google Meet limiting video calls to just 1080p, why I would want to pay a couple hundred extra bucks for niche use cases is beyond me.
Fortunately, the OBSBot Meet 2 with its solid specs, cute size, and very reasonable price aims to fix that problem. And give you an excellent everyday webcam in the process.
Starting off with the most noticeable thing, this webcam is absolutely adorable. At just under an inch tall and under two inches wide, it’s one of the smallest webcams I’ve used. It’s only about 70% of the size of the Logitech Brio 100 I’d previously used on my setup and not quite as cumbersome either. With grey, white, and green options available, they all look great but the almost seafoam shade of green is my favourite.
OBSBot Meet 2 specs
(Image credit: Future)
Supported resolutions: 4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 60 fps Field of view: D): 79.4° H): 67.2° Sensor: ½-inch CMOS sensor Connection: USB Type-C Dimensions: 45 x 36 x 22.2 mm Weight: 40.5 g Price:$179 | £179
The lens of this webcam takes up the majority of the space of the device. Apart from a small OBSBot logo up the top left, it lacks any distinct branding. To set this thing up, you simply have to plug a USB-C cable into the receiver on the back and connect the included stand to your monitor.
The stand is the weakest part of the package. Instead of screwing in via a thread, the stand has a small magnetic pull that keeps the webcam in place.
This feels like a bit of an oversight and a slightly thick USB-C has enough power to constantly knock the webcam off the stand. It clips initially fine but lacks the strength to hold onto a surface well. As the stand itself is fairly small, when the webcam’s weight is adjusted, this will often knock the entire thing off.
One night, the stand and webcam came off entirely and the Meet 2 took a nasty dent as a result. It’s only small but noticeable. If you plan on using this webcam, you will need to have a small USB-C, preferably with tidy wire management so it doesn’t dangle and get caught anywhere, or need a stand to screw this into. Luckily, it has threading at the bottom so works well once you do.
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(Image credit: Future)
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If you are worried about privacy, it comes with a handy magnetic cover. The webcam is so tiny that my, admittedly rather large, fingers occasionally move the entire webcam instead of removing the cover. But it’s a smart feature that becomes very natural after only a few days with the cam.
Having a physical cover is one of those little peace-of-mind accessories that adds a lot, despite being a very small touch. It does mean there’s a chance you can lose it as you can take it off entirely but, if you’re careful with your tech, holding onto the cover shouldn’t be a problem. Once set up on the desk, this tiny little webcam is an absolute joy for the price.
The half-inch CMOS sensor is the same you can find in OBSBot’s more expensive Tiny 2 Lite webcam, and an inch smaller than the CMOS sensor in the OBSBot Tiny 2. The 48 MP sensor has an aperture of 1.8 with an FOV of 79.4°, which makes it very similar to the much larger and more expensive Tiny 2, and the image quality is pretty great as a result. In video, it can capture up to 4K at 30 fps and down to 1080p and below at 60 fps.
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(Image credit: Future)
The OBSBot software taking an image with HDR off
(Image credit: Future)
The OBSBot software taking an image with HDR on
Though it supports HDR, I find the results to be a little inconsistent. In low or medium lighting, illuminated by the brightness of a monitor or mood lighting, the HDR mode felt crisper and dealt with the contrast of colours better. But it tended to feel a little more washed out in good lighting. Luckily, you can access easy HDR controls from the OBSBot Centre app, which also serves to get your webcam the latest firmware updates. This software is great, being not only intuitive but without any software hiccups or stalls.
In the software, the Console tab can be used to adjust framing as well as give a software approximation of a few lens types (wide, medium and narrow). You can also turn on auto framing, which is one of the many AI-powered functions, and it works fine to keep the body in the frame and focused. Though its limited size and FOV means it won’t keep tracking for very long if you move to the left or right. From using the two, this section of the software hub is far more impressive in the Lite 2 than in the Meet 2, though the former is a more expensive webcam choice.
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Focusing in particular is great on this webcam, adjusting to items in frame and in the distance in a matter of moments. In the image tab, you can further change how focus works, turn HDR on and off, as well as customise the image with contrast, sharpness, saturation, etc. These all work together to further hone a webcam that, from the very start, puts out high-quality video that is dynamic and adjustable. Naturally, in quite dark areas, the webcam does become a tad grainy and it won’t work wonders with almost no light but, if you like to play games in a Discord call, it can illuminate your smiling face as you taunt your enemies friends.
The Meet 2 has a few extra AI features, like the ability to change auto framing by holding your hand up and zooming in and out by holding your hand in the shape of an L. It feels a tad gimmicky, especially when you have to explain what you’re doing in a call while the software catches up with you, but it mostly works fine. The same is true of built-in beauty filters, that lightly pull in the chin or brighten the skin. They feel too obviously like a filter for me to get any genuine use out of them but they’re not necessarily distracting.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Buy if…
✅ You need a small webcam: The Meet 2 can fit into your palm with ease and will comfortably sit on just about any size screen. It’s both cute and excellent for a light setup.
✅ You like to fiddle with your video settings: The OBSBot Center app is a nice and easy bit of software that gets a lot of this webcam.
✅ You’re looking for 4K on a budget: This not only does 4K quality but it does it well, and at a competitive price point.
Don’t buy if…
❌ You don’t have a stand: This comes with a magnetic stand but a slightly thick USB-C or wobble in your desk will have that hurtling down.
❌ You don’t want a dedicated mic: The mic in this webcam is passable but you probably want something better to match that great quality.
❌ You want to be tracked around your room: Being stationery and with a just okay FOV, this can track you at your desk but won’t be able to follow you much further.
If you do plan on using this webcam for games, you will want to use your own mic because this one sounds a bit muffled and far away. Part of the problem with a webcam of this size and price point is it has to make cuts in other areas and this mic’s quality is fine for a quick chat but unsustainable for long-term use, without annoying enemies colleagues.
Other than this, video quality is great and clear in both 4K and 1080p, picking up the overhead light well while piecing individual strands of hair and movement together. The screen doesn’t feel too cluttered with movement even at 30 fps, with very little visual artifacting or blur to its output. The software only ever feels like a boon to it, which is surprising from something that boasts “AI features”.
From my time with the OBSBot Meet 2, I still don’t fully get the need for a 4K webcam. But this is priced well enough that it can outpace many 1080p choices in the right places and still give you the option to bring up that quality if you plan on creating high-quality streams or video. That adorable aesthetic also serves a practical use case for anyone with a particularly small setup, and it can even work with a laptop. You may need a mic and a better stand for the best experience but, once that’s sorted, it’s hard to beat this kind of quality and aesthetic at its price point.
Whether you’re a new player or have a win streak that goes back months, we’ve got something that’ll help improve your daily Wordle game. Take a look at our tips if you want to refresh your approach to puzzle solving, or use today’s hint to guide your way. Don’t worry if you’re running out of rows either—the answer for the January 14 (1305) game’s here if you need it.
For me, today’s Wordle was a fantastic demonstration of just how easy it is to get so close to the answer and then wander off for a bit. Now I know what I was supposed to find, it’s almost embarrassing to see the way I expertly dodged the right word for two whole rows. Better late than never, right?
Today’s Wordle hint
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)
Wordle today: A hint for Tuesday, January 14
Anything unusually elaborate or heavily decorated could be this. A flight of today’s answer is an imaginative, but silly, idea.
Is there a double letter in Wordle today?
No, there is not a double letter in today’s puzzle.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
Looking to extend your Wordle winning streak? Perhaps you’ve just started playing the popular daily puzzle game and are looking for some pointers. Whatever the reason you’re here, these quick tips can help push you in the right direction:
Start with a word that has a mix of common vowels and consonants.
The answer might repeat the same letter.
Try not to use guesses that include letters you’ve already eliminated.
There’s no racing against the clock with Wordle so you don’t need to rush for the answer. Treating the game like a casual newspaper crossword can be a good tactic; that way, you can come back to it later if you’re coming up blank. Stepping away for a while might mean the difference between a win and a line of grey squares.
Today’s Wordle answer
(Image credit: Future)
What is today’s Wordle answer?
Here’s your winning word. The answer to the January 14 (1305) Wordle is FANCY.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Previous Wordle answers
The last 10 Wordle answers
Wordle solutions that have already been used can help eliminate answers for today’s Wordle or give you inspiration for guesses to help uncover more of those greens. They can also give you some inspired ideas for starting words that keep your daily puzzle-solving fresh.
Here are some recent Wordle answers:
January 13: CLOAK
January 12: TOTAL
January 11: DINGY
January 10: CRAWL
January 9: WAFER
January 8: DRAFT
January 7: ATLAS
January 6: SPRIG
January 5: CYBER
January 4: RELAX
Learn more about Wordle
(Image credit: Nurphoto via Getty)
Wordle gives you six rows of five boxes each day, and it’s up to you to work out which five-letter word is hiding among them to win the popular daily puzzle.
It’s usually a good plan to start with a strong word like ALERT—or any other word with a good mix of common consonants and multiple vowels—and you should be off to a flying start, with a little luck anyway. You should also avoid starting words with repeating letters, so you don’t waste the chance to confirm or eliminate an extra letter. Once you hit Enter, you’ll see which letters you’ve got right or wrong. If a box turns ⬛️, it means that letter isn’t in the secret word at all. 🟨 means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 🟩 means you’ve got the right letter in the right spot.
Your second guess should compliment the first, using another “good” word to cover any common letters you might have missed on the first row—just don’t forget to leave out any letter you now know for a fact isn’t present in today’s answer. After that, it’s just a case of using what you’ve learned to narrow your guesses down to the correct word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words and don’t forget letters can repeat too (eg: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you’d like to find out which words have already been used, you can scroll to the relevant section above.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn’t long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it’s only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
At the end of 2024, I got to try one last hour-long preview of Hyper Light Breaker ahead of its early access launch on January 14. It does the thing: This is a great action game that nails the look and feel of Hyper Light Drifter in a 3D open world. Now there are two big questions remaining: How is it as a roguelike you play again and again, and how will it come together over the course of early access?
Breaker’s basic combat and traversal really haven’t been in question for me since I first tried a preview build of the game early last year. It feels great in the hand: Fun, engaging combat with a Souls-y emphasis on precise dodging or countering, but a character action game’s sense of speed. Moving around the world via hoverboard or Zelda paraglider is similarly great, and also shows off the procedural generation system Heart Machine has been cooking up.
Hyper Light Breaker | Early Access Launch Trailer – YouTube
If I hadn’t been told the seed I was exploring had been procedurally generated, I could have believed it was handmade the old-fashioned way. Ravines, cliffs, and mountains chop up the map and require thoughtful navigation to get around—apparently Heart Machine specifically wanted to avoid Skyrim “jump up the mountain” behavior, so every natural obstacle has an attendant ramp, pass, or other way around you’re expected to find. During my session, we encountered an underground lab, an apparently rarer map feature with desirable rewards, and I’m excited to see if there are other surprises like that in store.
What I’m really curious about is just how much the map will change between runs, how much a new version of the map will be able to replicate the surprise and excitement of first stepping into an open world, and if the proc gen seams will become more apparent over the course of many runs. There are multiple potential biomes to keep things fresh, though, with more promised as early access progresses.
Hyper Light: Showdown
One of my biggest questions about Breaker was how it would encourage or even allow for thoughtful exploration if it had a time crunch like Risk of Rain 2, and thankfully Breaker addresses this in two ways I really like. First, your exploration isn’t limited by time, but by productive actions you take out in the world—I was reminded of how the clock in Disco Elysium only advances when you engage in dialogue. Hyper Light Breaker’s danger meter will tick up as you acquire loot and keys to boss rooms or defeat enemies and bosses, increasing the volume and strength of enemies out in the open world.
Image 1 of 6
(Image credit: Heart Machine)
(Image credit: Heart Machine)
(Image credit: Heart Machine)
(Image credit: Heart Machine)
(Image credit: Heart Machine)
(Image credit: Heart Machine)
The second design move is that Breaker is pretty much an extraction game: Rather than the world getting reset on your death, you essentially have a few lives to burn for a given iteration of the world. Progress like keys, looted points of interest, and most importantly defeated bosses are maintained between expeditions of a given run, while extracting early will reset the danger level without expending one of your lives. Sustained between wider runs/map resets, Breaker has the usual sort of roguelike meta progression: There are vendors at your home base to upgrade and support, character build configurations to acquire and upgrade, and alternate characters to unlock—three at early access launch, with more on the way. Each character seems able to use every weapon, and I was told that their equippable, build-defining stat loadouts are what will really differentiate them, but I haven’t seen how that works in practice.
That’s pretty much where I’m at writ large going into Breaker’s early access launch: Everything I’ve seen, experienced, or been told is exciting and encouraging, but it’s going to take some time with the game in the wild to see if its long game has what it takes to offer the “infinite replayability” Heart Machine is going for.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
https://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1736799727_Hyper-Light-Breaker-has-great-combat-impeccable-vibes-and-its.jpg6751200Carlos Pachecohttps://gamingarmyunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Website-Logo-300x74.pngCarlos Pacheco2025-01-13 20:08:142025-01-13 20:08:14Hyper Light Breaker has great combat, impeccable vibes, and its ambitious randomized open worlds actually work—the real test is if it goes the distance in early access
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