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.
I have wanted to get back into Final Fantasy XIV for quite some time. I am a massive fan of everything it offers, from the art direction to the scope of the world and adventures that are held within it. I love the way that it handles narrative within the MMO format, and the massive range of locations to visit.…
Was Defender of the Crown the first “4X” strategy game to come from Western developers? I know it’s not a proper 4X, as several of the “Xes” are severely undercooked or nonexistent, and Japan’s Nobunaga’s Ambition beat it to market by several years, but when you look at it, you…
There was a time when visual novels were a rare thing in…
It’s been three years since the last Fire Emblem (Engage). In a…
I’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…
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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…
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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.…
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This month on the Digitally Uploaded podcast, we discuss what the next 12 months look like for the major console publishers. Now that their mid-year streams and shows have ended, what do we think will happen in the next few months… Then we discuss this concept of the “blockbuster” JRPG.…
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