Articles

HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE

Diablo 4's party scaling is exceptional, but it’s done dirty by the lack of LFG system

Diablo 4 pretty much solved the level scaling problem of modern-day co-op games, but only if you have a stacked friends list.

ZORAH & THE EXPLORER

Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak’s time is coming to an end – so there’s no better time for Monster Hunter World 2

Capcom might be on the hottest streak of its life, and it could continue its rampant success with a follow-up to its most-loved MH game.

ONCE UPON A TIME

Fable 4 is crucial to Xbox’s future, but it could be a Monkey’s Paw moment for fans

The original Fable trilogy was a product of the right studio, in the right place, at the right time – and that’s hard to replicate.

DRAWING A BLANKA

Street Fighter 6’s Modern Controls are the best training tool the series has ever had

Modern Controls in Street Fighter 6 are an accessibility triumph, and they're so good they make me play better on Classic.

LEAP TO THE FUTURE

Assassin’s Creed: Mirage is forging the best kind of remake

A visual and mechanical overhaul of the original, but with an entirely new setting and story? It’s the best of both worlds.

IT'S IN THE NAME

Is it really a surprise that Diablo 4's business model is a clone of Call of Duty?

Activision Blizzard landed on the most decadent monetisation model for its games a while ago, and it made clear it was gonna end up in Diablo 4.

CARD LUCK

Nvidia 4060 Ti 8GB offers up the sort of performance Nvidia promises – and questions the current GPU market

The 4060 Ti one of Nvidia’s most important cards of this hardware generation, but it comes with some caveats.

SPOOKY AI

How the System Shock remake learned a lot from Resident Evil – and precious little from AI

Almost a decade since its announcement, the System Shock Remake is launching in an interesting – and deeply ironic – time.

CRACKED THE CODY

World Tour isn’t just Street Fighter 6’s Story Mode – it’s also Final Fight 4

World Tour is Street Fighter 6’s story mode, sort-of a revival of another classic Capcom series, and a loving tribute to several more.

GUILE BE BACK

I can’t believe how nice everyone is in Street Fighter 6

Online lobbies and communities aren’t exactly known for their positive approach to other gamers, but in Street Fighter 6, something special is happening.

DEUS A FAVOUR

System Shock Remake proves that immersive sims are brilliant, and everyone that dislikes them is wrong

On-screen weapon stats and skill trees only serve as a barrier between player and playground.

THE OFFSPRING

Can bad games have good sequels?

In contrast to Hollywood, videogames usually improve with every iteration. The Best Games Ever Show Episode 54

JACKET OFF

Forget about spending real money on Diablo 4 in-game cosmetics, get real clothes instead

Forget dumping your cash into Activision Blizzard’s questionable in-game cosmetics and nab yourself some nice IRL threads instead.

BLINDED BY MAGE

Immortals of Aveum: Why single-player matters, and how Unreal 5.1 is making this a true new-gen shooter

Coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, Immortals of Aveum can really show us the power of the current generation of machines.

PUCK OF THE DRAW

LEGO’s Pac-Man Arcade is its greatest gaming tribute yet

LEGO has been doing good work in the gaming space, but it's biggest throwback yet might just be the company's strongest.

POST-MODERN ARTS

Street Fighter 6’s Modern Controls aren’t cheating – if you’re mad about them, you need to get training

No, I don't want no scrub: a scrub is a guy that won't get no wins from me. Switched to the Modern side of his Xbox, then, tryin' to pressure my Ken.

The 17 Best Co-op Games of all time [June 2023]

Whether you simply want some quick co-op fun or a lengthy campaign to embark on, we've got you and your friends covered with these co-op games.

'AVE SOME O' THAT!

Call of Duty meets magic and action: Immortals of Aveum is trying to fill the MCU cinema void this summer

Immortals of Aveum is visually spectacular, but how does it play?

RIFTS UNLEASHED

Interdimensional adventure awaits: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart leaping onto PC this July

Prepare for Steam-powered dimension-hopping.

LANA DEL PLAY

Xbox Game Pass new release has a gorgeous link to PlayStation exclusive The Last Guardian

If you’ve yet to play Planet of Lana, make sure you keep your speakers on and your ears open – the result may just surprise you.

COWARDS USE SUBTEXT

Silent Hill: Ascension does not look like the game we’ve been holding out for

Konami has shed a little bit more light on its next Silent Hill game (no, not Silent Hill 2) and it's not whatever you've been hoping for.

BBQ AND GAMES FTW

What are you playing this weekend?

Another lovely long weekend awaits!

SYMBOLIC

Metal Gear Solid Δ looks pretty goofy written down, but which games have worse titles?

What's in a name? Loads, actually. The Best Games Ever Show Episode 53

HELL & HIGH SUGAR

Want early access to Diablo 4? Your best bet might be a chocolate shop in London (yes, really)

You’d think chocolate would melt in hell, but as it happens a little chocolate shop might be your key to playing Diablo 4 early.

KINGDOM COME

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is great, but I hope the next game is nothing like it

Whatever Nintendo does with the next part in the Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom series, I hope it's something completely different.

PRETTY HATE MACHINE

Forget remakes and remasters –?there's never been a better time to revisit Metal Gear Rising Revengeance

Shake off the news about MGS: Delta and Master Collection Volume 1 and embrace the nanomachines instead, son.

PSTUFFED IT

It won’t matter one bit, but the PlayStation Showcase left me concerned about the PS5’s future

Spider-Man 2 and a love of the PlayStation brand means this won’t matter to most, but from my point of view, Sony fluffed this big time.

ACID TRIP

Metal Gear Solid, MGS2: Sons of Liberty, and MGS3 Snake Eater coming to PS5 in 2023

Konami has announced that the classic Metal Gear Solid games will be compiled via the Master Collection: Volume 1. It launches for PlayStation later this year.

CRITICAL BAS(IM)

Assassin's Creed Mirage release date set for October 12, is a proper return to old-school Assassin's Creed

Ubisoft's semi-reboot of the Assassin's Creed series is set to land on PlayStation, Xbox and PC later this year.

PARTY LIKE IT'S 1992

Mortal Kombat 1's exuberant ultra-violence shouldn't need defending, but here we are

Once again, we're talking about violence. Once again, we're talking about Mortal Kombat. It's like 1992 all over again.

JUST TO FEEL A-CLIVE

It looks like Final Fantasy 16 will be missing something at launch – but you won't be sad about it

Final Fantasy 16 looks like it’ll be bucking a trend that most modern games have been following, showing confidence from the developer.

BRICK UP YOUR EARS

If Mario Kart dabbled with Lego, you'd probably get something like Lego 2K Drive

More fun than Forza Horizon, more open than Mario Kart, and almost the perfect combination.

THIS CELLULOID DREAM

Everyone with a Netflix account can play one of 2022's best-rated games for free

Netflix is known for its movie content, sure – but have you ever played a game that’s secretly three movies threaded together?

ELEVATOR PITCH

Absolutely everybody should play the Final Fantasy 16 demo – hands-on

At a recent hands-on, I got to play the better part of six hours of Final Fantasy 16. But all you’ll need to make your mind up is the upcoming demo.

SAUSAGE LINKS

Cooking might be your secret recipe for success in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Finding The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom too hard? Learn how to cook, and all your problems will melt away like well-rendered fat.

RED HEAD REDEMPTION

Gingers? In video games? Who allowed this?

It's a mutation. It's a very groovy mutation. The Best Games Ever Show Episode 52

HEAD IN THE SAND

Xbox Game Pass gets surprise day one bonus – a cracking 3D Metroidvania sequel

An unexpected – but certainly not unwelcome – to Xbox Game Pass adds even more value to the service today.

OH, THE HUMANITY

May's unlikely PlayStation 5-exclusive hit proves there's still life in PlayStation Plus Extra

The dog days may only just beginning in Humanity’s darkest days, but at least that makes for some very inventive puzzling.

WORLD IN MOTION

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom wasn't clicking for me. Then I turned off motion controls

Everything just made a bit more sense to me after I stopped wobbling my JoyCon around like an idiot.

TIE A YELLOW RIBBON

BlizzCon 2023 returns to a live event in November

It's been four long years, do you still want it?

CORE MEMORY UNLOCKED

With Armored Core 6, FromSoftware has a chance to be cool again

After decades of games about locking onto and rolling around the big man, it's time for a change – and FromSoft knows it.

TRIAL & ERROR

The Outlast Trials has what it takes to be one of the best multiplayer horror titles of the year

The Outlast Trials understands what makes the series special, whilst experimenting with enough of the formula to keep it horrifyingly fresh.

TOYS WILL BE TOYS

In Tears of the Kingdom, cheating with Amiibo is more powerful than ever

Want to get over-powered and over-geared in a pinch? Dust off your amiibo and join me in the cheater's corner.

FUR REAL

It looks like one of 2022's best PlayStation Plus games is finally coming to Xbox

It looks like one of the most high-profile PlayStation exclusives is finally going to Stray from its parent platform and onto Xbox.

YOU CAN'T CURRY LOVE

We reviewed Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom convenience store food you'll probably never get to try

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is as big in Japan as it is the rest of the world – and it's so big, it's even got bonus tie-in food. Here's what it's like.

IS THIS LOSS?

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom actually manages to pull off one of gaming’s worst intro tropes really well

Trust Nintendo to make one of the most aggravating tropes in video game intros impactful.

IT'S ALL LINKED

As Tears of the Kingdom finally arrives, we ask: ‘What’s the best Zelda game that isn’t a Zelda game?’

The Legend of Zelda is a hugely influential series, but which of its many copycats is the best? The Best Games Ever Show Episode 51

BOY MEETS WORLD

Immortals of Aveum takes inspiration from God of War, BioShock, Doom, and more, says Ascendant Studios CEO

EA’s Immortals of Aveum is a big, bold, brash magic shooter – and it’s been taking notes from PlayStation’s God of War.

045-WON

One Redfall easter egg is a joke that's been running for three decades

How a nondescript door code survived studio closures through sheer force of imitation.

OUTSIDE THE BOX

EA's triple-A Immortals of Aveum isn’t just an RPG-shooter: “We spent a lot of time on puzzles, too”

The intriguing Immortals of Aveum isn’t just a corridor shooter; Ascendant Studios is weaving many genre strands together to make something unique.