RPGs – Ms. Bella's World

6–9 minutes

The holiday season has begun and, as we march towards Christmas, it’s time to start thinking about the perfect gift for your loved ones. And if there’s a gamer on the list, it can feel like an epic quest to find something for them. So here’s a list of a few things that would be on my Christmas wishlist to give you some suggestions to take with you.

Note – None of these links provided are sponsored or affiliate links. I’m just sharing what I think would be some great gifts based off of things I would want myself.

Video games

The first, and most obvious gift, would be video games. And while AAA games are top of the list, there are some great indie games out there to please many different tastes.

For the gamer that wants a laidback game to relax with –

Tiny Glade – Sept 23rd, 2024, full release ($14.99 on Steam)
Tiny Glade is a relaxing little city builder gamer where you create medieval themed diorama scenes to your hearts content. Using the pieces the game provides, combine them, shrink them, or make them bigger. Build anything from a small hamlet of cosy cottages to a city with a castle as the shining beacon. Or build a beautiful but desolate set of ruins. The world is yours, what will you create?
Tiny House Simulator – Nov 5th, 2024, Early Access ($17.99 on Steam)
If your gamer likes their building a little more modern and their game more structured, then Tiny House Sim might be more suited to them. In this game, they’ll be creating custom tiny homes for their clients based on each client’s needs. And if they just want to build, there’s a sandbox mode as well.
Trash Goblin – Nov 6, 2024, Early Access ($14.99 on Steam)
Trash Goblin is a relaxing simulation game where the player plays as a goblin shopkeeper who needs to find & clean trinkets to sell to a cast of quirky characters. Make money, upgrade the shop, and customize it. I’ve personally tried the demo for this one and found it colorful but relaxing.

Perhaps your gamer prefers some high octane action in small doses for those bits of time when they can sit down and enjoy their hobby? Then a bulletheaven game may be right up their alley, and here are a couple I recommend –

Karate Survivor – Oct 30, 2024, full release ($4.99 on Steam)
Recently released, Karate Survivor is an action roguelike with a heavy nod to action movies of the ’80s. Kick and punch your way through waves of enemies. Use your environment to your advantage and against your foes. Master combos and enhance your skills. It’s a lot of fun, a retro throwback and well worth the small price.
TemTem Swarm – Nov 13, 2024, early access (Price not Listed)
This bulletheaven, based on the creature capturing game TemTem, is bright, colorful, and a lot of fun judging by the demo. Collect Tems, fight them, evolve them, and battle massive bosses, both solo or co-op with up to 3 players. It’s sure to be a great timewaster for your gamer. I know I’ve spent a few hours in the demo already!
Soulstone Survivors – Nov 7, 2022, early access ($9.99 on Steam)
While this one is a couple of years old, it deserves a recommendation. With a colorful style, lots of characters and weapons to unlock and upgrade, and customizable difficulties, the game will provide hours of fun for anyone that’s a fan of the genre. This game has to bonus of being regularly updated, adding new weapons and characters to the mix. This is my personal guilty pleasure bulletheaven.

You say your gamer likes the RPG genre? Well, here’s a couple of games coming up that might interest them too –

Mirthwood – Nov 6, 2024, Full release ($24.99 on Steam)
In Mirthwood, a single player RPG life sim, your gamer will find themselves in a medieval fantasy world where they can build a home and a simple life of farming and trading or grab a weapon and go out on epic adventures. The stylized graphics are charming with a muted color palette that won’t make the eyes bleed and it appears to have a lot to do and a lot of freedom.
Like a Dragon – Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii – Feb 20 2025 (Pre-order $59.99)
Your gamer prefers a huge dose of action and humor with their RPG? Then the Like a Dragon franchise has them covered and the latest entry, set to release in February of 2025, looks to continue the fun and hijinks the game series is known for. This time, they’ll be going on a pirate adventure with an ex-yakuza and their crew. The pre-purchase price for the base game is $59.99 or you can splurge and get them the digital deluxe edition for $74.99 that will include bonuses like a legendary pirate crew pack, legendary outfits, and ship customization pack. Sail the high seas, yarr!

If you can’t decide exactly what game to get your gamer, a gift card is always a great choice. Whether they use Steam, GOG, Humble, Fanatical, or some other gaming service, you’re likely to find a way to give them the funds they need to purchase their next favorite game.

Extras

Don’t feel like the hassle of getting them a game because they’ve got so many that you’re not sure what to get them? Well, this list is for you, with some fun little ideas to suit different price ranges.

Under $25

Funny socks – The gamer that sits at their desk will appreciate some fun and comfortable socks to slip on while they’re playing their favorite game. For example, these “Do Not Disturb, I’m Gaming” socks from Amazon are $6.99!
LED Light Strip with Remote – Perhaps your gamer likes to dress up their gaming space. There are a wide range of LED light strips available, most with color changing functions and remotes. This set of lights on Amazon – Daybetter RGB Smart IC – costs $12.99 and provices 16.4′ of light strip, perfect for backlighting a monitor.
Cable Management Clips – For the more practical gamer, a kit of cable management clips may be the perfect little gift. I’m personally loving this 192 piece set on Amazon, with everything you could possibly need to tame the tangle of wires, all for $14.95.

Under $50

Heated Coffee Mug Warmer & Mug Set – If your gamer loves their coffee or hot tea, but is forever forgetting to drink it before it gets cold, then this will be a great gift. It comes with a corded warmer plate that can be programmed to between 77 – 158 degrees F (25 – 70 degrees C) and a stainless steel mug with lid. An attractive set, currently $30 at Amazon.
Mini Fridge (6 can) AC/DC – You say your gamer prefers cold drinks? Well a mini fridge may be just the thing for them. This one has room for 6 cans, runs on AC or DC current, and comes in white, black, or pink. The white one is $40.99, while black costs $41.99 and pink costs $42.99.
A Snack Box – Every gamer loves to have a little something on hand to munch on, so don’t forget the snacks. There are a huge variety of snack boxes available to suit a variety of tastes. Personally, I’m digging this 40 Japanese Candy & snack box for $27.97.

Under $100

LED Desk Lamp with RGB – If your gamer wants the function of a good desk lamp with the fun of RGB, then this one looks to be prime. The lamp features a bendable gooseneck that attaches to the desk via clamp, keeping it out of the way, 5 white/warm color temperatures, and 7 RGB modes, as well as a remote. I’m not huge on RGB but even I would love to get this lamp. On Amazon for $69.99.
Rechargeable Heated Gloves – For the gamer who complains that their hands are cold or cramped (I’m guilty of both!) these gloves are a perfect gift. They come in medium or large, have 2 heat settings, and a 3000mAh battery. They also can fully cover the fingers or be fingerless, making them a great indoor/outdoor pair of gloves. These onn Amazon are currently $49.00, with a 25% off coupon to boot!
Razer Base Station V2 Chroma Headset Stand – For the gamer that wants a sturdy stand to hang their headset on, this base station from Razer has the bells and whistles. Featuring a sturdy base with anti-slip ledge, Chroma USB lighting, and 2 USB charging ports, it will help to keep every neat, tidy, and stylish. It’s on Amazon for $69.99.

So, there you have it, some ideas for what to get a gamer for Christmas. Now this list is based on things I would personally love to get as a gamer and not at all exhaustive. Did I miss something you think would make a great gift? Leave a comment below and let me know.

Let the countdown to Christmas begin and, until next time, bye for now!

3–4 minutes

As a gamer, I’m always watching Steam, looking for titles that have the potential to be fun and interesting. If it appears to have a good story, an open world to explore, or interesting characters, it goes on my list. Bonus points if it’s an RPG or survival game.

And while there are a number of titles inhabiting my wishlist at this point, some of which I’m definitely looking forward to, the one title I’m looking forward to the most isn’t a game – it’s a mod for a game that’s been around for 18 years. This game had it all – a fun story told through quests and lore found around the world, a wide world to explore and discover, and fun gameplay with both melee and magic. It also had its share of bugs, glitches, mediocre graphics and more, mostly mitigated by the modding community.

That game I refer to is Oblivion. And the mod, scheduled to release in 2025 for free, is Skyblivion.

Created by a team of volunteers under the group ‘The Elder Scrolls Renewal‘, this project to port Oblivion into the Skyrim engine began in 2012. The lead developer, Zilav had created what the team refers to now as version 0.1, nothing more than a tech demo. It was missing most of the content and very buggy, but the promise was there.

The introduction of a new member of the team, Monocleus, saw the flicker of life grow into a small flame as he began fleshing out the technical end of the mod. And by 2014, they’d managed to provide for others a stable base game to develop.

Over the years, the group has grown to 85 volunteers, all working on various aspects of the mod. Everything has been meticulously recreated and, in some cases, improved by the passionate team of fans.

Among the things a player can expect are –

The quests from Oblivion (obviously)
All of the big and small DLC for Oblivion
Settings, including landscapes and towns, re-rendered in 3D. All of it has been recreated from the ground up to match the appearance of Skyrim
Custom content courtesy of the Skyblivion Dev team
Combat, including underwater combat
And so much more

Now, one must note that while the mod is free, there are still requirements. You must own a legitimate copy of Oblivion and Skyrim SE in order for the mod to work. And the FAQ states that if you can run Skyrim on medium settings then you should be able to handle Skyblivion too.

This has been a passion project 13 years in the making and the progress of it can be seen on both the Skyblivion website as well as their Project Lead’s YouTube channel – Rebelzize.

I stumbled across the mod in late 2022, after looking for mods to improve the appearance and gameplay of Oblivion. Once I saw what they were doing, I was determined that I’d wait to finish playing the game until I could get my hands on this mod. To date, I have yet to complete Oblivion, despite finding the story fascinating.

The suspense is killing me!

And this isn’t the only project in works by the ‘The Elder Scrolls Renewal’. There are also two versions of Morrowind mods being developed –

Morrowblivion – Morrowind in the Oblivion engine
Skywind – Morrowind in the Skyrim engine

You can imagine which of those I’m looking forward to!

2025 looks to be a great year for fans of Oblivion and, I for one, will be counting down the days until Skyblivion is released and I can once again enter the world of Tamriel to stop the Daedra from taking over Cyrodiil.

What do you think? Have you played Oblivion and will you play Skyblivion when it releases? Leave a comment.

And, until next time, bye for now!