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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Modern Warfare Zombies Review: A Bold New Step Into the Dark Aether
Much was said about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III’s “Modern Warfare Zombies” before release. Perhaps too much. Many wrote it off and assumed it would repeat the mistakes of the half-baked Zombies mode found in Call of Duty: Vanguard. The reveal confirmed that the mode wouldn’t be round-based, further splintering opinion. I was more optimistic. As a fan …
BO3 is EIGHT // Modern Warfare Zombies
Black Ops III is eight years old. Time does fly. While there’s certainly a lot of revisionist history surrounding it – omissions of major frustrations at launch, rough DLC launches with game-breaking bugs, and the Revelations ending and “super EE” debacle, to name a few – the game was undoubtedly the golden age of Call of Duty Zombies. It combined …
This Week at Bungie: Fire, Everywhere
It’s been a red-letter week for Bungie, the studio behind Destiny 2, with almost 10% of its staff made redundant, reports of the live service game missing financial and player retention targets by large numbers – 45% below projected revenue – and the all-but-confirmed delay to the next Destiny expansion, ‘The Final Shape’. Players have been unhappy with the direction …
Every Wake-ing Moment in the Dark
I first laid hands on the original Alan Wake on my fourteenth birthday. After watching a few trailers that piqued my interest, I requested it on a whim. I didn’t like horror at the time, but something about the game spoke to me. I reckoned I could handle it. Apart from a few Barbara Jagger-related nightmares, I think I did …
We’re All Drowning in Video Games. It’s a Nice Feeling.
It’s been an overwhelming year for video games — and it’s not finished yet! October and November are rammed with games from across the genres releasing on an almost daily basis. We’ve even had some titles delayed until next year to escape the madness, like the Alone in the Dark remake starring Jodie Comer and David Harbour, and some delayed …