In this month’s gaming update, I squeezed in an episode despite the crew being busy. Helldivers 2 continues to be a blast with new updates and surprising discoveries (who knew salutes opened item pods?).

Escape from Tarkov, however, left me frustrated. Battle State Games is charging a ridiculous $250 on top of the Edge of Darkness price for what was promised as free DLC. It feels unfair, especially for those who bought in expecting free updates.

Thankfully, there’s a new contender: Gray Zone Warfare. It has a Tarkov vibe with a dash of DayZ’s menus, but without the outrageous paywall for PvE! It’s a bit clunky at first, but once you tweak the settings, it’s a fun and customizable experience. Plus, no need to pay extra to play with friends!

Speaking of city builders, I tried Manor Lords. The graphics are amazing, and the systems are complex, but it’s a bit too slow for me. Gathering resources with families and carts feels tedious, and speeding up time doesn’t quite capture the experience I was looking for. Maybe next time, war!

On a brighter note, I snagged a beta key for Stormgate, an upcoming RTS game. As a huge fan of Starcraft, Command & Conquer, and Warcraft 3, I’m excited to see how it stacks up. Here’s to hoping it lives up to the hype!

That’s all I have for this month. Hopefully, the crew and I will be back next time. Until then, happy gaming!