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.
Nintendo’s timing with its no-pressure comfort food games has been fortuitous. Animal Crossing landed at almost the exact moment that people around the world were desperate for some no-stress escapism from COVID-19. Now, Pokémon Pokopia launches right at the time that America massively escalates global tensions by committing war crimes in Iran. Millions of copies have already been sold. Clearly,…
For people who enjoyed the vibes of Monster Hunter, but found the challenging, highly technical action combat to be overwhelming, Capcom came up with the Monster Hunter Stories series. The first two were enjoyable, but with Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, Capcom has landed on something really special indeed.…
Just when I think my love for the work of Hamster Corporation…
Before I fully launch into my review of Fatal Frame II: Crimson…
Sugoroku is, as far as the mechanics go, not the most exciting board game. In fact, it’s not far removed from Snakes & Ladders, and no one really plays it for the tactics or challenge. But it is a piece of Japanese culture that anyone with an interest in the…
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I’d never heard of Rammy’s Great Adventure until its remake landed on the Switch eShop. So I went and researched it, and here’s a brief history lesson. Okay, so Rammy’s Great Adventure was originally a Japan-only release, and it was released on GAMEPACK, back in 1995. Now, GAMEPACK was a…
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Last year, in writing a review of Octopath Traveler 0, I wrote an offhand comment that the game had “sprite art as a form of poetry,” and while I didn’t think too much of it at the time, I’ve since had a few people tell me that they rather liked…
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Android-based consoles, such as those Anbernic produce, are made for an application that is obvious: Emulation. By extension, that means they facilitate piracy, and that tends to make the games industry’s suit people mad. However, it is also because of devices like these that the indie scene flourishes with new…
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2025 is finally done and dusted. It’s been a big year with a lot of great game releases, despite some incredible turbulence in the industry. As we always like to do at DDNet, we’re taking a look back at the year that was, and some of our highlights. Matt spent…
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It’s that time of year again, and whatever your Christmas traditions (or however else you might celebrate this time of year) the DDNet crew wishes you all a happy, joyful and safe time. 2025 has been quite the rollercoaster of energy and emotion, both in terms of global events, and…
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There is a massive problem with filming a Dancesport film: Unless your cast are actual Dancesport athletes (and they are typically poor actors), then it’s going to be hard to make the dancing look good. 10 Dance, a Netflix-published film by the director of the Rurouni Kenshin films, is quite…
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Sony has filed a patent for an AI-based technology that would allow the company to censor game content in real time. This is the latest example of the libertarian tech culture and capitalistic big business kicking the arts in the balls. In this case, with a steel-capped boot. As described…
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I’ve been making my way through the surprise-dropped Tomb Raider Definitive Edition that landed on the Switch a few weeks ago, and with two new Tomb Raider games just announced (albeit with a new publisher), that turns out to have been good timing to remind myself of the direction that…
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Octopath Traveler 0 isn’t really Octopath Traveler. It’s good. It’s even excellent, frequently and for long stretches of time. But it’s not Octopath Traveler for this very simple reason: Both the original Octopath Traveler and its sequel told the stories of eight (“Octo”) different people, who would eventually come together…
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