Nintendo's gamemaking processes can sometimes look a bit like alchemy from afar - they keep quiet for years, then spit out a masterpiece that defies expectations. It's a formula that clearly evokes envy around the industry, and Sony's obviously eyeing Mario and Link's mascot status with green eyes. Hence the return of Sackboy, whose creative … Continue reading Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Fury, upset, bafflement, isolation, devastation and loss. An emotional array that we've all pushed through in varying comibinations over the last 12 months found itself a champion in Naughty Dog's latest, bleakest masterpiece. Triggering an unsurprising but nonetheless despicable storm of fury from the depraved right wing that has come to dominate games culture, Neil … Continue reading The Last of Us Part II — 2020’s Game of the Year
There's nothing quite like a console launch to soften the blow of paying nearly full whack for an expansion pack. Miles Morales is superb in many ways, a gentle iteration upon the already delightful gameplay loop of the first Spider-Man. Yet, inescapably, it's also short and a little empty. The first game introduced Miles with … Continue reading Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Roguelikes (or lites, depending on how you feel) toe a narrow line - replicating the punishing reset of a finished run without discouraging players as much as true Rogues. Hades is easily one of the best such games made in years and years, managing the same feat of slick and fun gameplay as the likes … Continue reading Hades
It's as clear as ever that there's an art to maintaining a player's motivation through the latter part of a modern open-world game. Over-large worlds and endless side-quests can easily lead to fatigue when they're forced upon you. Never has the drop-off felt quite so apparent as during the second half of Ghost of Tsushima, … Continue reading Ghost of Tsushima
There's a temptation when it comes to Ubisoft's open-world games to caveat my opinions with the fact that I haven't particularly enjoyed one for years. I'm confident it's not fully needed, but it's some context that might be welcome. Watch Dogs: Legion does absolutely nothing to dispel that lack of interest, its callow and unthinking … Continue reading Watch Dogs: Legion
There are many elements of life in lockdown that will likely stand out in my memory, once the benefit of retrospect is available. Living at home again, and the odd quasi-erasure of status it entailed; bonding very deeply with a scruffy ragdoll cat; watching every Star Wars movie with my family; relishing the freedom to … Continue reading Warzone will forever be my lockdown game
Oddly, it wasn’t even close. Only The Outer Wilds and Control held a candle this year, with exploratory, calm melancholia in space and eerie phantasmic combat. For mastery of play, though, for physical comedy and non-violent power struggles, Untitled Goose Game conquered even the most overblown of budgets and highly-advertised mainstream efforts. Developers House House … Continue reading Untitled Goose Game — 2019’s Game of the Year
I remember playing games a decade or more ago, when the extent of online walkthroughs available for most titles were ascii artwork-ridden fan chronicles on GameFAQs. Being cut off from easy solutions, with even the most dedicated guides having to paint pictures with their words. That remote sensation feels freshly relevant, playing through Outer Wilds. … Continue reading Outer Wilds
There are remakes and there are remakes. And, increasingly, there are remakes. The form is becoming a new genre, or rather a new sort of videogame self-homage. It's becoming less and less eyebrow-raising to announce a new version of a beloved older game. The pressing questions are just whether it will be a graphical update, … Continue reading The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
