iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

RimWorld, in four lines: ◆ Ignore the Geneva Conventions ◆ Survive naked in a frozen tundra ◆ Fly your whole base into orbit ◆ Lock up things that were never human The storyteller decides what goes wrong. You decide what your colony becomes.

Crit Pick post image. Darkened RimWorld colony screenshot behind a graphite panel with a gold top edge. Label: RimWorld. Headline: Why RimWorld is so good.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 12h

RimWorld was refused classification in Australia in 2022, and un-banned seven weeks later on appeal. Thirteen years in, still single-player, still no patch since June. The workshop does the moving now. Bodies are simulated part by part. That's the game.

The RimWorld planet map dotted with faction and settlement icons, with the title "RimWorld, all in one place" and the line "News, guides, mods and tier lists."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 06/10/2026

Seven needs, switched off. Vanilla Races Expanded — Android turns off food, rest, bladder, hygiene, thirst, food variety and cult-mindedness. What's left is power and memory. The colony runs beautifully. It also stops making stories.

Crit Pick RimWorld mod post: Vanilla Races Expanded — Android. Headline: No food. No sleep. Background screenshot by the Vanilla Expanded team, Steam Workshop.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 06/10/2026

Blizzard hasn't said what happens to your WoW Forever beta character. The calendar has. ◆ Beta ends 21 October ◆ Character creation opens 27 October ◆ Launch 4 November A creation window six days before launch is not an announcement. It is still an answer.

Crit Pick post image. Darkened World of Warcraft: Forever screenshot behind a graphite panel with a gold top edge. Label: WoW Forever, beta. Headline: Do beta characters carry over?

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CritPick @critpick.me · 05/10/2026

Owlcat's Dark Heresy is taking pre-orders and has no release date. Not even a year. The investigation loop is the part worth watching: clues contradict each other, and some of them lie. The 2027 everyone quotes traces back to a reupload.

A top-down view of a dark ship interior with green holographic figures, with the title "What we know about Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy" and the line "Companions, combat and every update."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 03/10/2026

Which stat do you overinvest in every single time?

Crit Pick question card. Darkened game screenshot behind a graphite panel with a gold edge. Label: Question Saturday #03. Headline: Which stat do you overinvest in every single time?

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CritPick @critpick.me · 03/10/2026

The first Total War on consoles in 25 years throws out two series staples. ◆ No ammunition ◆ Movement in tiles, not movement points ◆ Dead heroes return as Dreadnoughts Four factions, no Chaos at launch, and no date beyond 2027.

Ultramarines Space Marines advancing through a ruined city, with the title "What we know about Total War: Warhammer 40,000" and the line "Factions, platforms and the beta."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 01/10/2026

Everyone calls WoW: Forever an alternate timeline. Blizzard doesn't. Its word is "time bubble": sealed off, not branched. Nothing in Classic lore changes. The catch: two of its nine dungeons were built in Wrath and Cataclysm, and now sit before Molten Core.

The spires of Dalaran behind a purple magic dome from the World of Warcraft: Forever cinematic. Text: A time bubble, not a timeline.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 30/09/2026

Star Wars Zero Company shipped with shots missing at a displayed 100% hit chance. Patch 1.1 fixed it. Press gave it 85, players 77%. Permadeath is on by default — third injury and the soldier is gone. Made by XCOM's art director.

A clone trooper in cover on a desert battlefield, with the title "Star Wars Zero Company, all in one place" and the line "Guides, classes and news."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 29/09/2026

Vanilla Apparel Expanded adds 42 garments, and most of them do a job: ◆ Jumpsuit: +10% to every task ◆ Doctor scrubs: +15% surgery success ◆ Gas mask: toxic sensitivity -0.8 Light on armour by design. The flak vest still goes on top.

Vanilla Apparel Expanded – RimWorld mod, Crit Pick Mod Tuesday

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CritPick @critpick.me · 29/09/2026

In Zero Company, the order of your two specializations matters more than the pairing. Slot one gets an extra rank on every ability. Medic first reaches Combat Stim VI. Medic second stops at V. Put the class whose top rank you want first.

Crit Pick post image. Darkened Star Wars Zero Company weapon class screenshot behind a graphite panel with a gold top edge. Label: Zero Company. Headline: Your best combo starts with the order.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 29/09/2026

Vanilla Apparel Expanded, all 42 garments ranked by job. The jumpsuit speeds up every task, scrubs make surgery safer, and the flak vest still goes on top. buff.ly/oMlw7Ot

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CritPick @critpick.me · 28/09/2026

Nivalis Nights launches tomorrow at 17:00 CEST: $24.99, with 10% off at launch. The delay went into a voice cast that grew from 32 roles to over 135. Cyberpunk life sim, and you never drive: hover taxis, trains, your own boat.

Night skyline of a neon cyberpunk city over dark water, with the text: Nivalis Nights, 29 Sept. Out tomorrow.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 28/09/2026

Thirteen months after the announcement, Honkai: Nexus Anima has no date, no window, not even a year. There is no Steam page either. Two closed betas, both wiped. It was playable at gamescom. Real, then. Just nowhere near ready.

A silver-haired character and a white, dragon-like Anima with blossoms, with the title "What we know about Honkai: Nexus Anima" and the line "What's confirmed, and what isn't."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 26/09/2026

Hytale Chapter 1 lands 12 October. Much of it is playable now. ◆ first handcrafted dungeon, multi-phase boss ◆ six goblin types, five gadgets ◆ runes: 7 abilities, 4 modifiers The $15,000 bounty gets the headlines. The runes are what you'll play with.

A large armoured goblin machine with glowing orange eyes stands in a dim dungeon. Text: What's in Chapter 1 — Dungeon, goblins, runes and a $15,000 bounty.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 26/09/2026

Your first character. Is it still the one you play?

Crit Pick question card. Darkened game screenshot behind a graphite panel with a gold edge. Label: Question Saturday #02. Headline: Your first character. Is it still the one you play?

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CritPick @critpick.me · 25/09/2026

Xbox calls it a reset. From the outside it looks like a sorting. ◆ 268 roles cut ◆ Obsidian under Bethesda, Rare under Activision ◆ Ninja Theory in closure talks after two failed sales Booty says it's 75% done. The quarter that's left is the part I'd watch.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 24/09/2026

WoW: Forever keeps Azeroth's map and relights it. ◆ global illumination and volumetric fog ◆ god rays and water that catches the light ◆ terrain that casts real shadows as the sun moves Same roads, different mood. The nostalgia survives, the flat light does not.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 23/09/2026

ANANTA is 15 January 2027, free to play, and the gacha question is still open. The producer says no character gacha. The Steam page lists chance-based purchases. Both can be true. Neither is a promise.

Nova City in ANANTA: a curved glass tower and a gold dome above a city plaza, two characters walking towards them.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 23/09/2026

Hytale was cancelled by Riot, bought back by its own co-founder, and shipped into Early Access at $19.99. The strange part: multiplayer runs better than singleplayer, because the server simulates the world instead of your PC.

A blocky medieval town at dusk with a cathedral and market stalls, with the title "Hytale, all in one place" and the line "Editions, updates, mods and guides."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 23/09/2026

Is Aniimo pay to win? What Lumin Crystals, Sparkling Cubes and the paid Handbook buy, the free routes, and the one evolution you can't earn. buff.ly/Kp0O1fs

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CritPick @critpick.me · 22/09/2026

Aniimo's Egg Heist has one rule that matters: nothing counts until you evacuate. Twenty minutes, one egg, and only your slot-one Aniimo fights. The other three just bring their support skill. Who's in your slot one?

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CritPick @critpick.me · 22/09/2026

Diablo V doesn't start with you saving Sanctuary. It starts after the heroes lost. ◆ Survival is no longer tied to towns ◆ A caravan of allies travels with you, and they're your vendors ◆ The map can change when you return A new structure, not Diablo IV again.

A robed figure and a horned demon silhouetted against a burning camp, with the headline "Diablo V starts after the heroes lost".

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CritPick @critpick.me · 22/09/2026

Over 4,000 zombies. That's how many you put to rest across Graveyard Keeper 2, which releases today. ◆ Town battles only happen one day a week ◆ Your own zombies run the factories ◆ The demo save carries over A cemetery sim that grew a war on the side.

Graveyard Keeper 2 street battle: towers and barricades against a zombie horde.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 21/09/2026

Four Steam demos, one evening: ◆ Mimic Busters: prop hunt, every shot costs health ◆ Hellraiser: Revival: prologue, no save carryover ◆ Night Train Simulator: Blackout: 20 min, from 24 Sept ◆ Graveyard Keeper 2: 3–4 hours, save carries over Start with the graveyard.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 21/09/2026

Glynsera week just started in Aniimo. It runs until Sunday. Show me yours once you catch it: Prismana form, nickname, and how many Nurture runs it took. Melloblum takes over next Monday.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 21/09/2026

Runewords aren't the Diablo V news. Diablo IV already brought them back. The news is the yardstick: stat requirements being tested on gear, big items eating inventory slots, loot "inspired by Diablo II." This one is built for players who miss inventory Tetris.

A row of dark figures bound to wheel-shaped frames against a red, burning sky, with the headline "Loot measured against Diablo II".

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CritPick @critpick.me · 21/09/2026

Roco Kingdom announced PC, PS5, Xbox and mobile. The October beta runs on PC, iOS and Android. Both consoles sit it out. That usually tells you which versions are furthest along, and which ones are a promise.

A golden, horse-like creature and a character with a flower crown in a sunny village, with the title "What we know about Roco Kingdom" and the line "Platforms, release and every update."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 19/09/2026

First hour in a new RPG: main quest, or wander off?

Crit Pick question card. Darkened game screenshot behind a graphite panel with a gold edge. Label: Question Saturday #01. Headline: First hour in a new RPG: main quest, or wander off?

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CritPick @critpick.me · 19/09/2026

Dawn of War 4 is 3 December, and PC only. The console listings people keep quoting don't exist. ◆ Four factions at launch, a fifth with Aftermath ◆ Necrons run on one resource, not two ◆ Lion El'Jonson, the first playable Primarch

A Warhammer 40,000 warrior with glowing purple eyes amid purple energy, with the title "What we know about Dawn of War 4" and the line "Release, factions, editions and roadmap."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 18/09/2026

Gaming news this week: Bill Skarsgård is the lead in Kojima's Physint Capcom brings 3 Resident Evil remakes to Switch 2 on 16 Oct — Monster Hunter Wilds follows 4 Dec Wolverine lands at 77 on Metacritic WoW: Forever beta runs to 21 Oct Dragon Quest passes 100M sold

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CritPick @critpick.me · 18/09/2026

Four routes to a Prismana in Aniimo: a Prismana Flow from nurturing, a lucky strike mid-catch, an RV dispatch egg, or the free pick at Junior Wayfarer. Only the free pick lets you choose which of 14 you get. Use it on the form you'd never farm yourself.

An Aniimo being caught in a green meadow, with the title "Where Prismana come from" and the line "Four ways to a rare form in Aniimo."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 18/09/2026

Biggest releases this week: Marvel's Wolverine (PS5) — 77 on Metacritic Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave (Switch 2) Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter — ~80 hrs Aniimo — mobile follows 23 Sept 1.0: RuneScape: Dragonwilds, Endless Legend 2

Crit Pick card: This week's biggest releases

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CritPick @critpick.me · 17/09/2026

A dex doesn't have to spoil what a creature looks like. The Aniimo Dex and the Paldex now ask first: show all artwork, or hide it and reveal one at a time. buff.ly/dz7ZCN7

Aniimo Dex grid with most creature pictures hidden behind question marks

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CritPick @critpick.me · 17/09/2026

Rare doesn't mean stronger in Aniimo. A Prismana form has the same stats, the same trait and the same skills as the basic one. What changes is the element: Prismana Turbo is dark and wind, normal Turbo is only wind. Collect it for the look.

An Aniimo in battle, with the title "Prismana isn't a power tier" and the line "Same stats and skills as the normal form. What can change is the element."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 17/09/2026

WoW Forever keeps the cap at 60 and builds sideways. That part is real. But lead designer Tim Jones says Blizzard doesn't want a Tier 2 raid whose loot is no stronger than Tier 1. The jumps just get smaller. Flatter treadmill, not horizontal.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 16/09/2026

Aniimo won't start on Linux? Force Proton 10.0-4. In Steam: Properties > Compatibility > tick "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool" > Proton 10.0-4 Fixed every launch issue I had. Linux isn't officially supported, so updates may change that.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 16/09/2026

Twining is the part of Aniimo that isn't a creature collector: you become the one you caught and play it yourself. ◆ Every Aniimo brings its own traversal skill ◆ Take Off flies, but you take more damage airborne ◆ Tunnel burrows and ignores ranged attacks

Title card reading "Become the monster", with "monster" in gold, and the line "Twining, Aniimo's signature mechanic". Behind it, a lion-like Aniimo with large amber eyes in a sunlit meadow.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 16/09/2026

Black Desert has no dedicated healer role. Just Shai the support, and Witch and Wizard, who can also heal. Thirty-two classes, and a fight that never stops moving. The 2026 catch-up hands you a full Tuvala set for free. Gear was never the hard part — reading the progression is.

A Black Desert Online character in a dark kimono holding a fan, with the title "Black Desert Online, all in one place" and the line "Classes, progression and where to start."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 16/09/2026

95 species, 225 forms — and number 95 was a page nobody had counted. Irisalis sat in the official index, live but unlinked, until someone went looking. Pre-launch indexes are always a little unfinished. That's half the fun.

Grid of Aniimo entries in the Crit Pick Aniimo Dex, among them Lavazar, Magmarex, Geodeback, Minespine and Cozite, with the title "Every Aniimo, one place".

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CritPick @critpick.me · 15/09/2026

Code of Creation is live. The odd part is what's missing: no balance patch until November. ◆ New map, meta on a 3-hour cycle ◆ A raid, a fractal, a legendary sword ◆ Two months of the current meta Good if you hate patch churn. Rough if your build is the weak one.

$Title card reading "What's in Code of Creation", with "Creation" in gold. Above it: Guild Wars 2, 15 Sept. Below it: New map, raid, fractal, Act 4 and a legendary sword. In the background, a glowing blue crystal cave from the official trailer.$

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CritPick @critpick.me · 15/09/2026

Lucky strikes are the Aniimo launch change nobody mentions. ◆ A lucky strike while catching can trigger Prismana Flow on the spot ◆ RV dispatch eggs can now carry the Prismana trait ◆ The guarantee system stays Which is why catching the commons pays.

Title card reading "Lucky strikes on day one", with "strikes" in gold, and the line "The launch change nobody mentions". Behind it, a white Aniimo with yellow ears on a pink beach, and another one floating in a bubble.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 15/09/2026

Helion or Lunara is not a power choice. Both starters have identical stats. ◆ Helion: close range, physical, self-heal only after the upgrade ◆ Lunara: distance, magic, safer while you learn the fights Pick the range you enjoy. The stat sheet won't decide it.

Helion, a golden lion cub, and Lunara, a white fox with blue eyes, side by side under a blue sky, with the title Helion or Lunara? and the line Same stats, different fights.

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CritPick @critpick.me · 15/09/2026

Most Aniimo day-one mistakes happen before the first fight. ◆ Server region is a commitment — no word on transfers ◆ Potential sets a creature's ceiling, not its level ◆ Save the free Sparkling Cube for a Perfect catch Pick the region your friends are on.

Close-up of a pink Aniimo with big blue eyes, with the title "Starting Aniimo? Three things first" and the line "Server, Potential and the Sparkling Cube."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 14/09/2026

Blizzard's new StarCraft is an open-world shooter for spring 2030 — not StarCraft 3, and not an RTS. Everything Blizzard confirmed, and everything it left open: buff.ly/0UGSkpW

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CritPick @critpick.me · 14/09/2026

Aniimo goes live at 04:00 CEST on Sept 16. If you're in the Americas, that's the evening of the 15th. Mobile follows on the 23rd. buff.ly/7KDsk18

A winged Aniimo over an open landscape, with the title "Aniimo goes live Sept 16" and the line "02:00 UTC. In the Americas, that's the evening of the 15th."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 14/09/2026

ANOMALITH is FURYU's adventure game with a demo on Steam. The release dates, the PS5 physical edition and what is still unconfirmed: buff.ly/UL7hA4c

The heroine of ANOMALITH firing at a monster in a subway car, with the title "What we know about ANOMALITH" and the line "Release dates, demo and editions."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 13/09/2026

Aniimo gives you a free Prismana at Junior Wayfarer. Same stats as the normal forms, so the pick is about what they add, and three gain a second element. The one I'd take: buff.ly/lqG4VDw

Six Prismana Aniimo: Scorchhowl, Pawney, Thornblade, Witchin, Turbo and Grizbo, next to the title "The six free Prismana, compared".

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CritPick @critpick.me · 13/09/2026

Guildrun still has no release date. The studio is aiming for 2027, and the free demo on Steam has been patched about every week since July. Everything confirmed so far, in one place. buff.ly/3J6YULL

A dragon fight from the Guildrun demo, with the title "Guildrun: everything we know" and the line "No release date yet. The studio is aiming for 2027."

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CritPick @critpick.me · 12/09/2026

Is Aniimo a gacha? The studio says no, and catching runs on traps and timing. The luck-based legendary catch from the beta is gone. Still open: what Lumin Crystals, the paid currency, will buy. buff.ly/zl22zSZ

Two fluffy Aniimo in a flower meadow, with the title "Is Aniimo a gacha?" and the line "The studio says no. What changed before launch, and what's still open."

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