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…
Leonard Menchiari (RIOT: Civil Unrest, The Eternal Castle), is quickly becoming one of my favourite independent game auteurs. His work – regardless of who he is working with – has a kind of intensity and focus that is almost overwhelming and that makes it hard to tear your attention away…
Read MoreIn this podcast topic, we take a deep dive into the stories that only games can tell. Whether it’s 13 Sentinels, Elden Ring, or any number of other games (particularly in recent years), game developers and writers are starting to explore the unique narrative structures that are only possible through…
Read MoreAsmodee Digital is best known for its board game adaptations (including the rather good Gloomhaven, and classics like Ticket to Ride, Terraforming Mars, and Carcassonne). The publisher is looking to push into related-but-different spaces, however, which makes the RPG a natural stepping stone for it. Enter Dark Envoy, a guns…
Read MoreIt took me an embarrassingly long time to realise that “Waifu Impact” was a play on Genshin Impact. That’s the most interesting thing about this game, though I must admit that in the hand of competent developers this concept could have been spun into something good. The basic concept is…
Read MoreI’m mostly just doing this video to test a new sound recording system that I’m testing – the Maonocaster E2 A. But I also have a point to make! Nintendo has opened the floodgates for fanservicey games, and while fan service is great, the Steam-like stream of absolutely terrible stuff…
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We’re doing something a little bit different with the podcasts than we have in the past when uploading podcasts to YouTube. Rather than upload a ~2 hour video and make you watch it in all one go, we’re breaking things up a bit more so you can more easily watch…
Read MoreEvery developer and publisher of significant scope needs to have a Soulslike in its portfolio these days. It’s easy to understand why. Not only are these games incredibly popular, but the format does allow for an uncompromising creative vision, rich and evocative fantasy, and a chance to indulge the darker…
Read MoreI sat down to review the SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless with some trepidation: what do I really know, much less care, about mice? I understand the value of a good keyboard since I spend hours typing away at them daily. A good headset works for me because I like music…
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The news yesterday that Square Enix was selling off its western development studios to help fund a move into blockchain gaming, NFTs and other such things makes this podcast all the more pertinent. We actually recorded it before that news broke, but we actually talk about how terrible NFTs will…
Read MoreI’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,…
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