Excelle

Author

A veteran voice in video game journalism, Excelle Escalada has been writing and creating content for the gaming industry since 2008. His journey began at the heart of the gaming community as a founder and administrator for Exitializ, a competitive gaming guild established in 2008. Specializing in popular MMORPGs like CABAL, Guild Wars 2, and Dragon Nest, Exitializ grew from a passionate guild into a multi-channel gaming platform under his community leadership. This deep, firsthand experience with player communities and complex game systems provided the perfect foundation for a career in games journalism. Transitioning his passion into a profession, Excelle has brought his unique, community-first perspective to his role at Game Haunt.

Ho Yoverse Announces Honkai: Nexus Anima “Evolution Test” Closed Beta for July 9

Ho Yoverse Announces Honkai: Nexus Anima “Evolution Test” Closed Beta for July 9

June 22, 2026

Ho Yoverse announces the next closed beta for Honkai: Nexus Anima, its first creature-collecting adventure strategy game. The “Evolution Test” runs July 9 on PC, i OS, and Android, and registration is now open through the official website. The test introduces new characters, Anima, regions, and gameplay systems, expanding the game’s core loop beyond what earlier tests showed. Announced June 22 …

Blacklyte Athena Pro Review

Blacklyte Athena Pro Review

June 8, 2026

The Blacklyte Athena Pro (starting at $499 USD, $719 CAD, $559 as tested for the Leatherette White) doesn’t reinvent anything. It executes the Secretlab Titan recipe with enough polish that it earns a seat at the same table. You get the tall bolsters, the 4 D armrests, the built-in lumbar knob, and the magnetic neck pillow, …

Guild Wars 3 Announced at Summer Game Fest for PC and PS5

Guild Wars 3 Announced at Summer Game Fest for PC and PS5

June 5, 2026

Arena Net has announced Guild Wars 3 at Summer Game Fest, bringing the long-running MMORPG franchise back with a new entry for PC, Steam, and Play Station 5. The PS5 version marks the first time a Guild Wars game has launched on a home console, while the first beta test is scheduled for fall 2027. The announcement …

Realm of Ink Review

Realm of Ink Review

June 1, 2026

Realm of Ink does not hide its influences. Leap Studio’s action roguelite wears its Hades-shaped silhouette openly, from the brisk room-to-room combat flow to the way each run asks you to improvise around a growing pile of synergistic upgrades. That familiarity could have made it feel derivative. Instead, it mostly works in the game’s favor …

Hyper X Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless Review

Hyper X Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless Review

June 1, 2026

The Hyper X Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless doesn’t just iterate on its predecessor. It bulldozes every reasonable expectation for what a sub-$100 wireless gaming headset can deliver. Our review unit features 50mm dynamic drivers, dual wireless connectivity, and a claimed 80-hour battery life. The headset’s absurd stamina and stainless steel reinforced frame stand out, though the …

007 First Light Review

007 First Light Review

June 1, 2026

The strange thing about James Bond in games is that the fantasy always sounded easier to adapt than it actually was. On paper, the ingredients are obvious: espionage, gadgets, gunfights, luxury, deception, fast cars, and the constant threat of a mission collapsing at the worst possible second. In practice, most Bond games either leaned too …

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book Review: A Toybox That Trusts Your Imagination

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book Review: A Toybox That Trusts Your Imagination

May 29, 2026

Good-Feel’s latest Yoshi outing trades challenge for discovery and ends up delivering Nintendo’s most inventive platformer in years. The question is whether the industry knows how to celebrate a game like this. Editor’s Take Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a breathlessly imaginative platformer that replaces traditional challenge with systemic discovery, delivering a hand-crafted toybox …

007 First Light Shows What Happens When a Studio Actually Fits the IP

007 First Light Shows What Happens When a Studio Actually Fits the IP

May 29, 2026

007 First Light is proof that the best licensed games do not come from brand power alone. They come from a studio whose core design instincts already understand the fantasy the license is supposed to deliver, and IO Interactive may have been the right James Bond studio long before it officially got the job. Before …

The Victoria Day AFK Guide: 3 Physical Expansion Packs for Your Long Weekend

The Victoria Day AFK Guide: 3 Physical Expansion Packs for Your Long Weekend

May 15, 2026

Victoria Day is the unofficial patch that pushes Canada into summer. Most long weekends disappear into a Steam backlog, a live-service event, or one more “quick” session that somehow eats the whole afternoon. The May 18 weekend offers a different kind of side quest. You can go AFK, keep the gamer brain switched on, and …

The Best Browser RPGs You Can Play Right Now

The Best Browser RPGs You Can Play Right Now

May 1, 2026

If you want a browser RPG in 2026, you probably want two things at once. You want to get into the game fast, and you want enough depth to justify coming back after the first session. That sounds obvious, but plenty of browser games still miss one side of that deal. Some are quick to …

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Review

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Review

April 30, 2026

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream does not chase the soft, low-stakes comfort that defines many modern life sims. Instead, it leans into absurdity. It is loud, awkward, funny, and often completely unhinged. That choice works because Nintendo understands the appeal of this series: you are not building a peaceful retreat so much as managing a …

Pragmata Review

Pragmata Review

April 29, 2026

There was a time when Capcom felt comfortable taking expensive swings. Alongside defining hits like Resident Evil 4 and Devil May Cry, it also backed stranger, riskier work such as Killer7, P. N. 03, and Gregory Horror Show. Pragmata feels like a return to that older instinct. Rather than chasing another familiar blockbuster template, it builds a …

Turtle Beach Command Series Brings Touchscreen Controls to New Gaming Keyboards and Mice

Turtle Beach Command Series Brings Touchscreen Controls to New Gaming Keyboards and Mice

April 23, 2026

Turtle Beach has announced the new Command Series, a PC peripheral lineup built around integrated touch displays, Hall Effect options, and high polling rates across keyboards, mice, and a modular keypad. Revealed in an April 23 press release, the range includes the KB7 and KB5 keyboards, the KP7 keypad, and three mice led by the …

HP Omni Book Ultra 14 Review

HP Omni Book Ultra 14 Review

April 20, 2026

The HP 8 EB4 laptop, configured with Intel’s Core Ultra X9 388 H and integrated Intel Arc B390 graphics, lands in an awkward but useful middle ground. It is not a gaming laptop, and the benchmark data makes that plain within minutes. However, it is a surprisingly capable productivity machine with a strong PCMark 10 Extended score …

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II Wireless Gaming Headset Announced With Hi-Res Audio, Cross Play 2. 0, and 80-Hour Swappable Battery System

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II Wireless Gaming Headset Announced With Hi-Res Audio, Cross Play 2. 0, and 80-Hour Swappable Battery System

April 16, 2026

Turtle Beach has unveiled the Stealth Pro II wireless gaming headset, a new flagship model that builds on the original Stealth Pro with certified 24-bit/96k Hz Hi-Res Wireless Audio, Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and a Cross Play 2. 0 system that supports switching between up to four USB wireless transmitters. The company says the new headset is designed …

Turtle Beach Rematch Switch 2 (Mario & Luigi) Review

Turtle Beach Rematch Switch 2 (Mario & Luigi) Review

April 3, 2026

If rainbow lighting on your preferred plumber’s face sounds ridiculous to you, here’s the thing: it isn’t. The Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 in the Mario & Luigi design is, according to Turtle Beach, the first officially licensed Nintendo controller to ship with RGB lighting built in. That’s not a small claim. Nintendo’s …

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park Review

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park Review

March 28, 2026

The full title tells you almost nothing. Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park sounds like a bullet-pointed press release stapled into a subtitle. But strip away the awkward naming and what you actually have is the definitive version of one of the best 2 D platformers Nintendo has ever made, now …

Best Turtle Beach Switch 2 Controller for Super Mario Galaxy Fans

Best Turtle Beach Switch 2 Controller for Super Mario Galaxy Fans

March 26, 2026

Turtle Beach announces three new officially licensed Nintendo Switch 2 peripherals timed to the Super Mario Galaxy film opening April 1: the Rosalina Rematch Wireless RGB Gaming Controller, the Koopa Troop Rematch Wireless RGB Gaming Controller, and the Koopa Troop Play Trek travel case. All three are available for pre-order now on turtlebeach. com and at participating retailers globally. With the gallery …

Hyper X Cloud III S Wireless Review: The Upgrade the Cloud III Wireless Needed

Hyper X Cloud III S Wireless Review: The Upgrade the Cloud III Wireless Needed

March 25, 2026

The Hyper X Cloud III S Wireless ($179. 99) is the headset Hyper X should have shipped from the start. It carries forward everything that made the Cloud III Wireless a strong performer, including its lightweight build, those angled 53mm dynamic drivers, and an impressive 120-hour battery life over 2. 4 GHz wireless, but it finally adds Bluetooth connectivity. That single …

Pokémon Pokopia Review

Pokémon Pokopia Review

March 19, 2026

Release Date March 5, 2026 Developer Omega Force, Game Freak Publisher Nintendo, The Pokémon Company Our Score4. 5 Where to Buy Best Buy Amazon Pokémon Pokopia doesn’t reinvent what a Pokémon game can be so much as it quietly dismantles the assumption that those two words must always mean the same thing. Set in a post-collapse Kanto where every human has vanished and the …

Island of Hearts Launches on Steam March 27, Brings Live-Action Romance to PC

Island of Hearts Launches on Steam March 27, Brings Live-Action Romance to PC

March 16, 2026

4 Divinity and Titan Digital Media set a March 27 release date for the influencer-cast dating adventure, with physical merch bundles and a free demo available now. 4 Divinity and Titan Digital Media have announced that Island of Hearts, their live-action interactive dating game, is launching on PC via Steam on March 27, 2026. A free demo is already …

Fallen Tear: Ascension Review

Fallen Tear: Ascension Review

March 16, 2026

Fallen Tear: Ascension blends Metroidvania exploration with JRPG mechanics and pulls it off more often than not. The genre mashup sounds like a recipe for either something special or a confused mess. Fortunately, it leans toward the former. But “promising” and “ready” are two very different things, and right now, Fallen Tear sits firmly in …

Hyper X Cloud Alpha Wireless Review: Record Battery Life With Some Compromises

Hyper X Cloud Alpha Wireless Review: Record Battery Life With Some Compromises

March 16, 2026

The Hyper X Cloud Alpha Wireless (starting at $199. 99, often found around $179) takes the beloved Cloud Alpha formula and cuts the cord without gutting the battery. Hyper X advertises up to 300 hours of wireless runtime, and our testing clocked in at a remarkable 327 hours and 27 minutes. That number alone earns a double-take. The …

Pokémon Pokopia Mysterious Slate Guide: All Locations, How to Use Them, and the Final Reward

Pokémon Pokopia Mysterious Slate Guide: All Locations, How to Use Them, and the Final Reward

March 15, 2026

Release Date March 5, 2026 Developer Omega Force, Game Freak Publisher Nintendo, The Pokémon Company Where to Buy Best Buy Amazon Pokémon Pokopia hides one of its best secrets in plain sight. The Mysterious Slate is an item you can stumble across in your very first hour of digging, but the game gives you almost no explanation for what it is or …