Gaming Squad

Halloween may be over but that doesn’t mean that you have to stop enjoying everything scary. For those who love a good thrill, Humble Bundle has a great deal going, letting you snag seven horror games for only twenty bucks. Available until November 12, the collection’s headlining title has to be the entire Dark Pictures Anthology thus far, which will treat you to a handful of horror stories pulled right out of classic B movies.

For the unfamiliar, The Dark Pictures Anthology is an ongoing series developed by Supermassive Games, the team best known for PlayStation’s cult classic Until Dawn. Like that 2015 title, The Dark Pictures Anthology seeks to capture the feeling of a horror movie that you can play. In each of the anthology’s titles (of which there are currently four), you’ll be responsible for deciding the fate of each cast member. What makes these experiences so enjoyable are the permutations the story can take depending on your mood. Sure, you could save everybody and let them live happily ever after, but it’s a bit more fun to see just how much mayhem you can cause, even if it means letting the killer take out the entire cast. Choosing your own style also makes the Dark Pictures games perfect to play with a group of friends.

Because the Dark Pictures games are an anthology, you can pick up any of the four titles first. Each one has its own horror vibe to fit the mood you’re in. For my money, the best of the four is 2021’s House of Ashes, which leans into Lovecraftian cosmic horror in a claustrophobic cave setting out of 2005’s horror flick The Descent. The third title in the series, it’s clearly the one on which Supermassive hit its stride, both in narrative and gameplay. The roughly six-hour experience never lets up, constantly putting pressure on you and the cast. It also has a great star in Ashley Tisdale (of High School Musical fame), and she turns in a pretty fantastic horror performance.

In addition to the rest of the Dark Pictures games, the Humble Bundle will also net you Little Nightmares, its expansion, and Little Nightmares 2. For $20 that’s a pretty great belated Halloween treat.

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It should come as no surprise that Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is chock-full of easter eggs and fun references. A few of the more subtle examples can be found in the scant special throws available—these feature more cinematic animations and potentially different combo extensions, but just like the special finishers, there aren’t many compared to the roster size.

Another similarity to the finishers is that these are almost a hidden inclusion, their only mention in Whis’ Stamp Book. Having to be on the main menu to piece together which characters can pull off a unique throw is a drag, especially when there are ten total to keep track of. Our guide will break down how to perform them all and what makes them different from a fighter’s typical grab.

How to Trigger Special Throws

All it takes to trigger a unique throw is to have one particular fighter grab a specific target. It’s distinct enough that just using any version of a character might not cut it. Goku has three opponents he can perform a special throw against, but each one requires him to be in a certain form from a particular era.

Aside from some launching an opponent differently, these don’t feature any major gameplay differences. While there are some subtle advantages, they’re mainly meant to be fun references to iconic moments and fights us fans love.

Order Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO: Amazon | Best Buy | Humble Bundle

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is a fun time, but the flashy combos and quick-time events can bump up the intensity. Although you can’t make the latter easier, the game does have an incredible selection of features called Battle Assists to make the general gameplay more approachable. There is one major problem though: the game doesn’t explain what they do.

Read More: Let’s Master The Art Of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s QTEs
Order Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO: Amazon | Best Buy | Humble Bundle

The addition of Battle Assists is fantastic for those in need of accessibility boosts, or for newer players. This is what makes their lack of explanation bewildering. It’s easy to have an inkling of what their purpose is, but figuring out how they work isn’t as simple. Here’s our breakdown of what each Battle Assist setting does and how to change them.

How to Adjust Battle Assist Settings

You can freely toggle the various Battle Assist options by entering the Options Menu and then scrolling down to Accessibility. There are a lot of things to tinker with here, but a majority of them are different Assist features. You can adjust each one individually or use preset configurations.

• Off – Every Battle Assist is turned off
• Auto – Every Battle Assist is turned on
• Semiautomatic – Only the Guard and Recovery Assists are turned on
• Custom – Your selection of which are active and which aren’t

Remember that the Options Menu can only be reached when outside a match. It’s available while browsing all the main menus, and even in the character select screen before entering training. Once you’re in an actual fight, you can’t access this menu and the associated settings anymore.