Matt S. is the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of DDNet. He's been writing about games for over 20 years, including a book, but is perhaps best-known for being the high priest of the Church of Hatsune Miku.
To start this review with something very personal: My father passed away last week. It’s been difficult, to put it mildly. The reason I bring it up is that Dad absolutely loved Ten-Pin Bowling. Had his own ball, ball bag (I had no idea they made bowling ball bags), shoes, the works. He competed in social leagues all over the…
Having not played the original Code Vein, I have no idea whether Code Vein II is effective in building on it, or whether the two games are related at all. What I do know is that Code Vein II is an excellent soulslike. One that starts quite slowly, but has…
It’s incredible that Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergarde plays so well on…
Lached Up Games serves a very specific niche with its quirky and…
I’m a big fan of itch.io for the freedom and open platform that it allows for developers to be creative, experimental, and directly canvas the audience for feedback for games that are not yet ready for primetime on Steam and its ilk. In addition, itch.io allows you to be transgressive,…
Read MoreI’ve yet to lose a match in Matchpoint Tennis, and that’s the game’s one substantial flaw. Unfortunately, that one issue effectively ruins it. What’s the point of a sports game that is so lacking in difficulty that there’s no risk of a loss? The entire genre is meant to be…
Read MoreWe do love JRPGs at DDNet, and it has been interesting to see over the years how developers and publishers have tried to create “blockbuster” entries in the genre. Here we talk about that topic – what are the challenges that developers and publishers have when trying to appeal to…
Read MoreThe third chapter of the Xenoblade Chronicles series might just be the best of them, thanks to some intense themes that hit you right from the outset, as well as the expected excellent gameplay and expansive world. In this video, we give you a look at the very first part…
Read MoreI’ve barely started with Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but I already know two things: firstly, this is a game that I want to take my time and savour, and secondly, it’s probably going to be a pretty thinky game. It’s already thinky, and I’m only one chapter in. Related reading: You…
Read MoreAustralians should make more visual novels. I don’t just say that because I make them and need to kick myself into actually finalising my latest one (it’s getting there, day by day!). It’s just that whenever an Australian produces a VN, it’s typically gold. Max’s Big Bust is a hilarious…
Read MoreIn the past month, there have been a lot of game feeds and shows from all the major players, and now we know how the year ahead will like pan out for Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. So, in the wake of all those shows, we get a bit futurist, and…
Read More
Lollipop Chainsaw is one of the best games ever made. A collaboration between Goichi Suda, James Gunn (yes, the Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy director), and producer, Yoshimi Yasuda, the game is a subversive grindhouse brawler about a cheerleader taking on an army of zombies, and it is…
Read MoreLike with most PC releases, I missed the original launch of Gamedec last year. I just don’t pay enough attention to that space, it seems, because if I did I would have bought this instantly. As such I’m glad it has come to Nintendo Switch, because while the Switch does…
Read More
If you’re into your JRPGs, you’re going to have a good month with July’s releases. Across both retro and modern, the likes of Square Enix and Nintendo have some big ones to look forward to. And there’s a Chinese RPG (CRPG?) that you should also pay very close attention to.…
Read More