I’m going to open this review with a comparison that may lose some of you right away. Sometimes, in order to learn and grow in a meaningful way, we have to cut a significant part of ourselves off. It may take us a while to work up the courage to make that change, it may…
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With only a week remaining until the launch of what is arguably the year’s biggest game, Rockstar Games have released the launch trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s another more cinematic glimpse at the game, hinting at trouble within Dutch’s gang and the game’s broader story. From train robberies (and Arthur complaining that…
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It’s a warm spring Tuesday when I arrive at the National Art School in Sydney. The School is located on the site of the old Darlinghurst Gaol and is steeped in the history of the area. Its connection to DICE’s Battlefield V, a multiplayer-centric first person shooter set in World War II, is a bit…
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Veteran character actor Sean Bean has died a lot on-screen. Known for roles like Boromir in The Lord of the Rings and Ned Stark on Game of Thrones, old mate Sean always seems to bite it in the end. He’s died on film so many times that it’s become a bit of a running joke….
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Thought that ‘toys to life’ video game fad was over? That the days of collecting Skylanders and Disney Infinity figures were behind you? Guess again. Starlink: Battle for Atlas marks developer Ubisoft Toronto’s first attempt at creating a fun, friendly, accessible spaceship combat-based experience for the young and old alike. While it’s not perfect, Starlink: Battle for…
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Rockstar changed the face of gaming in October 2001, and they did it by taking a pretty bold risk, the impact and effects of which are still being felt throughout the industry almost 20 years later. The game they dropped in October 2001 represented a seismic shift in immersive gaming that is often imitated but…
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Before we begin, a personal note: Between Nintendo and Ubisoft, I have had to write out the word “Odyssey” so often over the last two years that I’ll never misspell it again. Big thanks to both companies for that little toward self improvement. One year on from Ubisoft’s drastic reconstruction of its most popular franchise,…
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It’s been three weeks since Forsaken, the latest expansion for Destiny 2 launched, and in many ways I’m still struggling to wrap my head around the enormity of it. I’ve got a life outside of my work on this website — I have a side job, I have obligations to friends and family, I have…
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Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a Japanese war-time strategy game with unique combat elements. I’ve never played a Valkyria Chronicles game before but I’m willing to try any game at least once, and I’m glad this is the one to introduce me to the franchise. Valkyria Chronicles 4 follows the story of Squad E, many of…
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The NBA 2K series is back for its 20th anniversary, which seems like a long time for a video game franchise, but has proved to be time well spent, with the NBA 2K franchise becoming the preferred platform for many NBA fans, including myself. It is with great satisfaction that I can say that while…
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The closest media analogue I can think of for Shadow of the Tomb Raider is Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I’m sure I’m the latest in a long line of critics to make this comparison, but it’s an apt one on just about every level. Shadow represents a stark shift in tone, character…
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Pro Evolution Soccer has always been appreciated by fans for its uncompromising, detailed and rewarding structure and gameplay; and with PES 2019 the series continues this tradition. Thanks to some fantastic overall gameplay, admirable presentation and slight adjustments to modes PES 2019 may scratch that football itch as a valid alternative to the wildly popular FIFA series….
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Epic Games’ Fortnite has quickly taken the world by storm following the launch of its Battle Royale mode in September last year. Its meteoric rise was bolstered by its rapid expansion to other platforms — initially on Windows PC, Mac OSX, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and now on iOS and Android devices. Fortnite‘s popularity…
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Phantom Doctrine is a turn-based strategy game set during the Cold War. You play as either a retired KGB, rogue CIA, or an unlockable secret identity, in charge of a secret operation to stop a world-ending conspiracy. Basically, it’s X-COM set in the Cold War, but with an enticing spy twist. The game itself has…
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Ok, first things first? Do you like going fast? I mean really, really, really fast? Well then F1 2018 may just be suited to you. The latest iteration of developer Codemasters’ premiere Formula 1 franchise may just be the best we’ve seen so far, thanks to some handy improvements presentation and controls, all while holding…
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Battlefield V looks to bring a ton back from its critically and commercially successful predecessor year’s Battlefield 1. The series’ current waiving of numbering convention confuses me a tad — Battlefield V is a sequel to Battlefield 1, but its official numbering means it technically comes after Battlefield 4, which was a modern warfare shooter. …
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If Assassin’s Creed Origins was to be the new franchise blueprint, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey feels like series with its mission statement clarified. It stands on the edge of a big leap, the way one of its protagonists might. So what’s it waiting for? Its release date, probably. The build of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey I played…
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As a game, Insomniac’s Spider-Man is a bit like it’s hero. Spidey is good (but not great) at his job, and you forgive him his missteps because his heart’s in the right place. If you created a checklist of tropes and mechanics found in open world adventure games, Spider-Man would tick every box. It doesn’t…
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Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strikers feels like a massively missed opportunity for a fun and robust multiplayer Naruto game. Building off the success of the Ninja Storm series, Shinobi Strikers is a weak follow up that rarely capitalises on the unique appeal of the Naruto franchise. Essentially, Shinobi Strikers is a multiplayer fighting game that…
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The Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 + 2 is a warts-and-all look at a series that began with an instant classic and ended with a sad trombone sound in the mid-00’s. I don’t think it was Capcom’s intention when they created a retro package of all eight games in the X series, but it’s…
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‘Have you ever wondered how the mind of an assassin works?’ HITMAN 2‘s newest trailer gives us a glimpse of what goes through the assassin’s mind. Let’s give it a look. It looks like the new game will feature a new mechanic called “Picture-in-Picture”, which “Alerts you to important events as they happen”, as the…
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It will help if you read this introductory par in the voice of a 1930’s movie serial announcer. Greetings fellow adventurers, and welcome to Strange Brigade, the new cooperative shooter from developer Rebellion. Right out the gate, Strange Brigade prides itself on blending Indiana Jones with Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy franchise in order to create…
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I don’t know when it happened precisely, but at some time in the last few years I became a huge fan of the Yakuza series. If I weren’t working as a games critic, it’s likely I never would have played them. And to not have played them would have been a tremendous shame. The Yakuza…
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Sony’s had a few up-and-down months with their PlayStation Plus freebies. After the 2018 high water mark of Bloodborne, they’ve haven’t really had another title come through that lives up to the same lofty stature. Until now. September’s offerings bring both Destiny 2 and God of War 3 Remastered into the PlayStation Plus freebie fold. That’s…
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Multiplayer is something that, over the years, has moved further and further into the online-only space. All but gone are the days of friends or family paying with (or against) one another on a single console. The days of couch party titles like Mario Kart 64 and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 are gone, replaced…
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The games that make the biggest splash at E3 are the ones that debut a big, bombastic trailer to the public. What was remarkable about CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 was that it didn’t do any of that, and still became the talk of the show. The game didn’t even have a trailer that was…
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I’ve brought this up before but it bears repeating: while it’s easy to think of sports sims as lazy annual rehashes, upgrading or altering a few aspects of a game to justify their existence, the truth is that that’s rarely the case. Madden NFL 18 strode boldly into new territory, finally making the jump to…
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The final DLC expansion for Ubisoft’s acclaimed South Park: The Fractured But Whole has arrived. The Bring the Crunch DLC introduces Mint Berry Crunch to the story, a character who appeared in early promo shots but didn’t make it into the base game, a brand new part of town (Lake Tardicaca) and a new class…
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Daniel Bryan has had a long and varied career in WWE. From his introduction as part of the NXT‘s Nexus division, to his eventual firing, rehiring, retiring and return. WWE 2K19 is set to showcase his journey and triumphant struggle back to the ring with the return of 2K Showcase, a story-driven campaign mode within…
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Everybody’s favourite purple dragon is set to receive a wave of brand new themed merchandise in the lead up to November’s Spyro Reignited Trilogy. The collection includes a range of items including wallets, purses, pins, notebooks and apparel, including a t-shirt, hat, beanie and watch.
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