Earlier this year, we learned that Warhammer 40k: Darktide offers Left 4 Dead-style storytelling with over 75,000 lines of dialogue already written. Developed by Swedish outfit Fatshark – of War of the Roses, and Warhammer: Vermintide fame – Darktide is a gorgeous, gritty, and often grueling first-person action game that …
Read More »NHL 23 brings female players to Ultimate Team for the first time
Given the annual sales of Madden and FIFA, it’s rare that EA’s ice hockey series is afforded the opportunity to break new ground. Massive news, then, from our behind-the-scenes glimpse at NHL 23. Ultimate Team is the biggest mode in all of gaming, and this year’s puck-smacking version will be …
Read More »The Devil in Me is H.H. Holmes meets Saw mixed with Resident Evil puzzles
The Dark Pictures season finale, The Devil in Me, looks set to bring one of the most ambitious setups yet across all four games. The broad pitch is 19th century serial killer H.H. Holmes meets Saw, whereas the previous games have always been based on something ‘real’ – first came …
Read More »Splatoon 3 shines in its opening hours
I really like games like Splatoon 3, where you can switch at will between a kid and a squid. No extra tiers of nonsense. No microtransactions to wade through. No endless list of perks to mix together. No DLC splitting the player base. Just squids, kids, and downright impeccable vibes. …
Read More »Disney Dreamlight Valley Early Access launches in two weeks and I am not prepared
You should start making preparations for Disney Dreamlight Valley to ruin your life. After countless years spent relatively disappointed by the quality of 3D life-sim adventures on home console platforms, I’ve learned to temper my expectations. Whether that’s because of convoluted control systems, finicky user interfaces, patchy performance standards, or …
Read More »Goat Simulator 3 hands-on: breathing new life into gamings funniest experiment
I’m playing Goat Simulator 3 at Gamescom 2022 and I can’t help but wonder how we got here. How did Coffee Stain Studios even table the original idea for this, let’s say, unorthodox series? What about taking Garry’s Mod-style ragdoll physics? Uh-huh. And throwing them into a game that’s pretty …
Read More »The Walking Dead Saints and Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution looks like a strong update for one of the best zombie games ever
If The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution’s undead VR was basically exactly the same as the last game, just in a new location, I would be ecstatically happy. The 2020 debut just nailed that heart in the mouth apocalypse vibe, where careful preparation and awareness were …
Read More »Lightyear Frontier is a promising alternative to Stardew Valley
Take a deep breath – you’ve earned it. Stardew Valley is owed a lot of credit for the way it quietly renovated the peaceful farming adventure beyond the confines of Harvest Moon, and Lightyear Frontier feels like a natural expansion of those core ideals. It’s you, up to three friends, …
Read More »Lies of P hands-on: Bloodborne and Pinocchio are a match made in Soulslike heaven
There’s a contingent of Xbox owners out there who have spent the last seven years searching for a Bloodborne they can call their own. There is no shortage of Soulslikes on the platform – from Dark Souls to Elden Ring, to more recent efforts like Thymesia – but few contenders …
Read More »Eight years and three studios later, playing Dead Island 2 resurrects its zombie promise
While waiting my turn to play Dead Island 2 I had the chance to watch somebody else hammer at the undead with a baseball bat for a while. Which was lucky, as it really let me appreciate just how over the top the gore is in Dambuster Studios’ reanimated Dead …
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