Bungie delivered. The Final Shape was a worthy conclusion to Destiny’s Light and Dark saga, more than living up to the ten-year build. It continued the hot streak of campaign expansions in Destiny that started with The Witch Queen (despite notable issues with Lightfall’s story, I thought the campaign was full of remarkable encounters and memorable set pieces) and provided an emotional and earned climax. The positive reception was anything but a foregone conclusion. Bungie has taken quite the beating since the poor reception of Lightfall. Missed internal development targets resulted in The Final Shape suffering from a delay, with …
Black Ops 6 Reveal: First Impressions
Having recovered from the Black Ops 6 blowout at the Xbox Showcase last weekend, I wanted to share my first impressions of the game. Surprise, surprise: I’m feeling pretty positive! Campaign The campaign reveal trailer was an epic blend of archival news footage and gameplay, soundtracked by Firestarter by The Prodigy – an excellent choice for the trailer of a Call of Duty game set in the nineties. The Campaign is exactly what I hoped we’d see from Raven and Treyarch’s continued collaboration. It doubles down on everything that made the Cold War campaign interesting, focussing on a central …
Destiny: Where Does My Guardian Fit in The Final Shape?
The Final Shape approaches. Guardians across the system will take the fight to The Witness, fight side-by-side with old friend Cayde-6, and mix up their builds with the new Prismatic subclass. Like many Destiny players, I’m starting to feel nostalgic over my journey amongst the stars, though it started more recently than most guardians. I’d tried and failed multiple times to get into Destiny, but my guardian’s time finally arrived in the Summer of 2022. Modern Warfare II had, quite frankly, pissed me off. The launch of COD HQ was a disaster, and Infinity Ward had made many unnecessary changes …
Black Ops 6 Direct Preview: The Truth Is Nigh
The reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is imminent, and maybe it’s just me, but there’s a rare feeling of optimism throughout the Call of Duty community. While the “COD cycle” – where fans jump from hating the present product to getting excited for the next one – exists, this feels different. Be it single-player-minded players who are looking to sink their teeth into the alt-history of the campaign, multiplayer fans who are looking for innovation following Modern Warfare III’s return to form, or Zombies players desperate for more traditional round-based maps – people are excited about Black …
Seven Things to Make Black Ops 6 Zombies a Success
It’s roughly three weeks until the reveal of the next Call of Duty, and for many, it’s business as usual: a ritual or a habit more than something to get excited about. Those outside the CODsphere remark, “Another Call of Duty?!” and move on with their lives. But for those like myself, this year means much more. A new Call of Duty Black Ops title is on the way, and with it comes the promise of more Zombies. As someone who has dedicated themselves to Zombies since its debut in World at War, I’ll be the first to tell you …
After Latest Studio Closures, Xbox Has Killed All Trust
This week, I originally planned to preview the forthcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops reveal in June, maybe focus on Nintendo finally acknowledging the successor to the Nintendo Switch, or talk about some of the great releases this week, such as the Metroidvania puzzler Animal Well, but Xbox decided to steal the headlines and the attention of everyone for all the wrong reasons. Before going forward, I need to address it, and I’m not going to sugarcoat things: Xbox has fucked it. Royally. The closure of four development studios—including Tango Gameworks, the developer of Hi-Fi Rush—and the resulting town hall …
With E3 Gone, the Big Three Look On
The video game industry is a fast-moving beast. Trends appear overnight and disappear just as quickly. Development studios close at the click of an executive’s finger. The game of the moment becomes tomorrow’s afterthought. One constant, however, is the period in early summer, when publishers, developers, and hardware manufacturers showcase plans for the rest of the year and beyond, although the format has changed from what was regarded as the standard for twenty-something years. The Entertainment Software Association held the inaugural Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 – get it?) in May 1995 with the goal of making it the premier …
Switch 2 Launch 2025: Nintendo Is in Dangerous Territory
I’d put myself in the upper echelons of Nintendo fandom. I’ve had a long history with the company since my first hand-me-down GameBoy Pocket. I’m an Animal Crossing die-hard, my girlfriend beats me at Mario Kart, and I frequently reminisce over Wii Sports taking over the world in 2007. I still enjoy most of Nintendo’s first-party output, and the Nintendo Switch, the hybrid console phenomenon entering its eighth year on the market, is my preferred choice for third-party titles when possible. I’ve been anticipating a jump in hardware since the dreaded Switch Pro rumour cycle in 2021 and thought this …
The Next Video Game Craze Could Keep Us Trapped in a Vicious Cycle
Like all multi-billion dollar industries, the video game industry is driven by trends. We’ve seen the balloon burst on many a craze: first-person shooters mimicking Call of Duty’s progression system, open-world games akin to Far Cry 3, “choices matter” games, loot boxes, season passes, cosmetic bundles, etc. More recently, the unpredictable success of Fortnite Battle Royale resulted in numerous studios releasing their own take on a battle royale mode as soon as possible; everyone wanted a piece of the pie! A few years later, though, the craze has calmed down drastically. Few have succeeded; many have fallen. Apex Legends and …
The Game Awards 2023 – Picks & Predictions
It’s awards season! And there’s no better way to kick it off than The Game Awards, a show that I consistently enjoy despite not always being the most entertaining. Geoff Keighley has stuck with his vision for TGA and evolved the show into a slickly produced showcase of the past year full of exciting announcements, random celebrity appearances and the celebration of some of the year’s best games. TGA isn’t perfect — it’s a bit like potpourri. Made up of different elements, it can be flashy and entertaining, but ultimately, you end up looking at it and thinking, is all …