For all the hundreds of titles that release each year, the existence of a genuine video game phenomenon remains pretty rare. I’m not talking about a simple best-seller, but a title capable of stealing the spotlight from everything else that launches within six months of it. A game that’s still …
Read More »Why everybody is talking about Palia, the free-to-play community sim that looks like Valheim mixed with Animal Crossing
Following the announcement that Palia, the Animal Crossing-Valheim mash up, will be free-to-play we have resurfaced our preview of the upcoming cozy community sim. Below, you’ll find our original impressions of Palia from when we were given a look at the game last summer. The developers behind new PC game …
Read More »Have you tried… investigating the birth of the universe in jazzy point-and-click detective game Genesis Noir?
Genesis Noir is one of those critically-acclaimed indie games that might have slipped under your radar, and one reason might be because it’s hard to explain what it is. Its mechanics drop it firmly into the point and click genre, but everything else about it feels as massive and intangible …
Read More »Metroid Dread makes power suits sexy and robots terrifying again
After 35 years the Nintendo classic is more beautiful and brutal than ever. Metroid Dread brings a new polish to the 2D shooter’s killer combo of platforming and gunplay, and you couldn’t pick a better game to show off the new screen of the Nintendo Switch OLED. My hands-on with …
Read More »Call of Duty: Vanguard looks like it has learned the right lessons from Call of Duty: WW2
It looks like Sledgehammer Games has learned all the right lessons from Call of Duty: WW2. Following the reveal of Call of Duty: Vanguard via Verdansk last week, and an extended look at the campaign during Gamescom Opening Night Live, we’ve been able to see just how much Sledgehammer has …
Read More »Have you tried…running your own personal D&D campaign in Wildermyth?
Over the past eighteen months, I’ve been running a pair of Dungeons & Dragons campaigns as a way to keep in touch with friends and colleagues who I’ve not been able to see in person. As a novice DM, it’s been a steep learning curve. The complexities of storytelling and …
Read More »Max Payne turns 20: Remedy Entertainment looks back on the making of its iconic action game
From 2001 to 2003, it wasn’t just a third-person camera that made the world revolve around Max Payne. Nor was it the mere sight of its excellent graphics, or of PCs taking a sideways leap into console land from where they would never fully return. More than anything, it was …
Read More »Nintendo Switch OLED has some decent upgrades, but lacks the bigger picture in a next-gen world
Nintendo Switch OLED is an updated Switch console coming this October, with the term “updated” being used rather generously. The Switch OLED comes equipped with a bigger screen, a wider kickstand, improved speakers, and a black and white colorway, along with a new dock that includes a built-in wired LAN …
Read More »OlliOlli World is the fluorescent action platformer we all need right now
OlliOlli World might look like sunshine and sweetness, a Cartoon Network-designed sugar rush, but hiding beneath that exterior is the beating heart of a series that is known to demand perfection. The series made its name via precise platforming that just happened to be on a skateboard, and this delightfully …
Read More »Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 gameplay breakdown: 9 details we spotted in the BOTW 2 E3 2021 trailer
The Nintendo E3 2021 Direct ended on a high, showcasing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel gameplay in a dazzling new trailer that also confirmed a 2022 release window. While the sizzle reel was fairly snappy, it tucked in glimpses at a number of new features, areas, …
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