Kat Bailey

You're a Loose Cannon: The Challenge of Making a Good Police Game

Why developers have struggled to make police games that go beyond the cops and criminals fantasy of Battlefield Hardline and company.

How the Dutch Game Garden Helped Remake Video Games in the Netherlands

Video game development as we know it barely existed in the Netherlands a decade ago. Here's what changed.

The Day the Dreamcast Died

Fifteen years ago today, Sega ended production of the Dreamcast. We talked to some of the people who witnessed its rise and fall firsthand.

The Making of Fallout: New Vegas: How Obsidian's Underrated Sequel Became a Beloved Classic

From its beginnings at Black Isle to classic DLC like Lonesome Road, we dive into the history of one of the best RPGs ever.

At EA's Jacksonville Tribute: Tears and the First Step Toward Healing

STARTING SCREEN | A community picks up the pieces after an unspeakable tragedy.

Finishing God of War Has Left Me Trapped Between Admiration and Frustration

Kat has finally wrapped up God of War's latest chapter, and she has some thoughts.

Press Start to Continue

A look back on what we tried to accomplish at USgamer, and the work still to be done.

NHL 21 Review: This Year's Entry Struggles to Light the Lamp

EA's hockey sim includes a long-awaited update to a classic mode, but legacy issues drag it down to the ice.

FIFA 21 Review: One Final Shot

EA's soccer franchise tries to score one more goal before full-time is called on the current console generation.

The Baroque Beauty of Valkyrie Profile, Tri-Ace's Greatest RPG

Now 20 years old, Valkyrie Profile is one of the PlayStation's finest RPGs.

Madden NFL 21 Review: A Few Stumbling Yards Forward

Solid improvements to the gameplay are marred by subpar single-player modes and a huge number of bugs.

Madden NFL 21's Seann Graddy is "Actually Quite Proud of This Generation" as Next-Gen Approaches

Executive Producer Seann Graddy talks about Madden NFL 21's brand-new mode, franchise mode woes, and the road to PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Why the Dreamcast Still Matters

Why the Sega Dreamcast still resonates with game enthusiasts on its 20th anniversary.

Inside California's Secret Arcades

COVER STORY: With the arcade scene long since dead and buried, hobbyists are building private arcades of their own. We visited one.

Expat Game Dev Story: Inside Japan's Foreign Game Development Community

There are more western developers than ever in Japan, and they're doing everything they can to help Japan's indie community succeed overseas.

FIFA 21's Battle With Lag, And What EA Has to Say About Other Longstanding Gameplay Problems

"FIFA 21 is the most responsive game we've ever made," EA says.

Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost On Review: Just Communication

Bandai Namco's arcade port is an odd but wonderful anachronism.

StarCraft 2's Rollercoaster Decade, As Remembered By Its Developers

Reflections on StarCraft 2's early success, the impact of free-to-play, and what Blizzard might have done differently.

Othercide Review: My Immortal

A tactics game that taps into our inner goth rock fan.

The Case for Fallout 4

We reexamine Fallout 4 in the wake of Fallout 76's release and find that it holds up better than you might think.

Remember When... Xbox 360 Tried to Conquer Japan?

Microsoft's attempts to win over Japanese gamers, and why it ultimately failed.

Marvel's Iron Man VR Shows How Far VR Has Come… And How Far It Still Has to Go

An unexpectedly sophisticated VR game.

An Oral History of Diablo II With David Brevik, Max Schaefer, and Erich Schaefer

The battles with Blizzard, the year of crunch, and the shower ideas behind one of gaming's most enduring pillars.

Before Rogue One: When Games Were Filling in the History of Star Wars

The veterans who worked on X-wing remember when Star Wars was still a relatively blank canvas.

The Top 25 RPGs of All Time #24: Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

One of the greatest tactics RPGs ever outshines its better-known successor.

The Top 25 RPGs of All Time #14: Pokemon Gold and Silver

Pokemon Gold and Silver aren't just the best games in the series, they have an argument for being the best Game Boy games ever.

The Top 25 RPGs of All Time #25: Final Fantasy 5

We begin our list with an underrated classic.

Why Zelda is an Unexpectedly Great Proof of Concept for the Switch

Plus: Music from Night in the Woods, Logan's success, and a little survival horror game set in 1960s Taiwan.

What Do You Do When Too Many Great Games are Coming Out at Once?

Strategies for keeping your sanity amid the rush of Zelda and Mass Effect. Plus: Metascores, obscure RPGs, game music, and more!

Why Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is Already the Fastest Selling Game in the Series' History

Why Nintendo's racer is more important than your typical next-gen port. Plus: Morrowind's 15th anniversary, American Gods, and more!

Was This the Right Time for the Switch to Launch, Middle-Earth Shadow of War, and More

The USgamer team comes together once again to get your week started right.

Owning a Console is More Complicated (And Expensive) Than Ever

The PS4 Pro and Scorpio are obscuring some of the traditional benefits of owning a console.

Mass Effect Andromeda is Coming Out at Exactly the Wrong Time

There's never a good time for a bad game to come out, but this month is worse than most.

How Exactly Did Destiny 2's $250 Collector's Edition Become the Accepted Norm?

Collector's Editions are the perfect winning scenario for publishers. Plus: Japanese April Fools Jokes, more obscure RPGs, and all the rest.

Call of Duty: WW2 Needs More Than a New Setting to Refresh the Series

Strong sales belie the franchise's creative rot.

After This Weekend, Splatoon Already Has One New Fan (Me)

Discovering one of the Wii U's gems on the Switch. Plus: Destiny 2, StarCraft HD, and more obscure RPGs.

Why I'm Still Playing Gradius 35 Years After Its Original Release

On its 35th anniversary, the Vic Viper lives on.

Overwatch Review: Cheers, Love. The Cavalry's Here

We dig into Blizzard's first foray into the first-person shooter genre.

Baldur's Gate 3 Being Turn-Based Was "Never Really a Question"

We go in-depth on Baldur's Gate 3's battle system, its branching narrative, and more.

The 35 Year Quest for the Perfect Video Game Lightsaber

Tracing the history of the iconic weapon from the Atari 2600 to the present, and all the ways that it's influenced gaming.

Countdown to Final Fantasy 7 Remake

We count down the final weeks to Final Fantasy 7 Remake's release with a series of features, essays, and podcasts.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Developers Tried to Avoid Playing Favorites With Tifa and Aerith

Co-Director Naoki Hamaguchi and Producer Yoshinori Kitase tell us about giving Tifa and Aerith equal time, how their vision for the remake evolved over time, and more.

The Studio Behind the Messenger Is Trying to Kickstart Its Dream RPG in the Midst of a Pandemic

We talk to Sabotage Studio about its vision for Sea of Stars, and the nightmare of unveiling its dream project in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Top 25 RPGs of All Time #22: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

It spelled the end of a great RPG studio, but Vampire: The Masquerade lives on.

MLB The Show 20 Review: A Baseball Fan's Balm for a Painful Spring

Opening Day may have been delayed, but The Show must go on.

Ninja Theory Opens Up: Its Barbecue With Rare, Overcoming Doubts About Bleeding Edge, and Avoiding Crunch

"Oh my god, we have a brother-sister relationship with another studio in the UK."

The Case for the PlayStation 2 Being the Greatest Console Ever

Why the highest-selling console of all time is also the best.

With Baldur's Gate 3 Coming to Stadia, Larian Reacts to the Platform's Struggles

"We of course follow the news, and we know what players are thinking and why they're thinking that."

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is "Three Times the Scope and Scale" of Blind Forest

We talk to the devs at Moon about delays, growing up as a studio, and success on the Switch.

"Outriders Isn't Games as Service:" People Can Fly on What Makes Their Next-Gen Shooter "Old-School"

Where we're going, we don't need roadmaps.