Monster Hunter Rise's PC port looks great at 4K and 60FPS
Posted on February 13, 2023
| 8 minutes
| 1587 words
| Patria Henriques
Almost a full year on from its Nintendo Switch release, a new PC Steam version of Monster Hunter Rise is out - at last letting us push past the fixed limits of an already superb Switch version. Higher resolutions, smoother higher frame-rates, and a suite of graphics options all play to PC's strengths as you'd expect, of course - as well as ultrawide monitor support and voice chat. So the basics are all present and correct - but does the new PC port address the technical trade-offs present on Switch, particularly given Monster Hunter Rise's move to a more taxing, open-ended world design?
[Read More]Pokémon Go's Johto Tour was its most demanding day yet
Posted on February 13, 2023
| 5 minutes
| 1038 words
| Trudie Dory
In nearly six years, I don't think I've ever been busier playing Pokémon Go. This weekend's ticketed Johto Tour event offered an eye-opening checklist of things to hunt down, battle and trade - so much so, some fans have said the event should have lasted two days, or had better signposting for some of its more obscure challenges. Johto Tour was a celebration of the series' Gold and Silver game region, and in that it was a success.
[Read More]Tetris Effect review - the eternal puzzler reimagined on a truly cosmic scale
Posted on February 13, 2023
| 14 minutes
| 2770 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Tetris gets the Tetsuya Mizuguchi makeover, to dazzling effect. Timeless, immediately compelling and utterly without mercy, Tetris has always been a game about what isn't there - or rather a game about what isn't there yet. It's a game about the puzzle pieces you don't currently have, and all the stupid stuff you get up to before they arrive. Tetris - the way I play it anyway, forever awaiting that long block - is the story of how you got so hopelessly drunk to fight off pre-party nerves that, once the actual party had started, you had to go home early - and on the way home you fell down an open manhole and broke your ankle.
[Read More]The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth review
Posted on February 13, 2023
| 6 minutes
| 1096 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
An awful childhood gets a surprisingly arcadey revisit in this blistering action roguelike. The Binding of Isaac is a game about child abuse, both mythological and semi-autobiographical. While its numerous opaque endings are open to interpretation, there is no way to shy away from its distressing foundational theme. It's alluded to in the game's title, borrowed from the myth that features in all three major monotheistic religions in which Abraham comes close to sacrificing his bewildered child, Isaac.
[Read More]The Double-A Team: Bangai-O turns bullet hell on its head
Posted on February 13, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 579 words
| Trudie Dory
Bullet-time was a defining gimmick that marked the end of one millennium and the beginning of the next. 1999's summer blockbuster The Matrix blew our minds with bullet dodging before games popularised it starting with Max Payne in 2001, which coined its feature with that exact term. But in between these two pop culture titans, spare a thought for Bangai-O, the little big Japanese title that took its own unique approach.
[Read More]The story of Net Yaroze, Sony's first indie push
Posted on February 13, 2023
| 9 minutes
| 1891 words
| Patria Henriques
Most independent developers would likely be horrified if implicated in a console war. In the last year or so it's become clear they might have no choice; independent games could prove vital to who triumphs in the next-gen race.
So far it's Sony that has shown itself to recognise this by making significant gestures to win the affections of the indie community. The PlayStation 4 promises self-publishing, and indie games featured more prominently at Sony's E3 conference than ever before.
[Read More]The Warcraft movie's Goldshire Inn makes me nostalgic for WOW's Goldshire Inn
Posted on February 13, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 285 words
| Trudie Dory
The Warcraft movie recreates a number of locations from the game upon which it is based, including, wait for it, Goldshire Inn!
World of Warcraft Alliance players will know Goldshire Inn, situated in Elwynn Forest, well. (Horde scum, feel free to sit this one out.) It's one of the busiest non-city locations in the MMO, with plenty of early quests to get stuck into. Most of the time you'll find half-naked night elves dancing on tables.
[Read More]World of Warcraft mobile game to be unveiled in May
Posted on February 13, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 320 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Blizzard's World of Warcraft game for mobile will be unveiled in May, the developer has said.
The reveal will follow detailed updates on both Hearthstone and the main World of Warcraft over the next six weeks. World of Warcraft's next expansion will be unveiled on 19th April. Before that, Hearthstone's first 2022 expansion will be revealed on 15th March, with a deeper look at the game's plans for the rest of the year "
[Read More]Among Us is getting an account system next week - here's how it works
Posted on February 12, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 504 words
| Patria Henriques
An account system may not sound like the most glamorous game feature of all time, sure, but it's been one of the most highly-requested additions for Among Us - and with good reason. As a result of the game's explosion in popularity last year, developer InnerSloth has struggled to crack down on hackers and cheaters, while players frequently complain about toxicity and unfair treatment in public lobbies. The addition of accounts and reporting tools should (at least partially) address this, and after announcing the account system would arrive in The Airship update on 31st March, InnerSloth has now detailed exactly how it will work.
[Read More]Aragami 2 unfolds release date
Posted on February 12, 2023
| 1 minutes
| 172 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Stealthy undead swordsman sequel Aragami 2 launches for Playtation, PC and Xbox on 17th September, developer Lince Works has announced. Our first look at polished Aragami 2 gameplay lies in the new trailer below, which shows a new threat for the Rashomon Valley and various ninja-inspired fights.
The original Aragami sold 700k copies and helped grow Lince Works as a studio, the developer said in a release today, meaning Aragami 2 is now the work of a more experienced and larger team.
[Read More]