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 love Zen Studios’ approach to pinball. I’ve been playing the company’s games for the past 13 years, and naturally, I was very keen to check out the new Pinball FX (which is actually Pinball FX4). The core pinball action is even better than ever. Sadly, though, there are some real problems with this package… Check out this video for…
In 2016, a study by Paul J. C. Adachi and Teena Willoughby was published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence that found that of people aged 17-25, playing sports video games increased involvement in real-life sports. “Sports video game play may be an effective tool to promote real-life sports…
There is a problem when you make something subversive: how do you…
We don’t hear as much about the Eastern Front during World War…
Sony has shared the full library of games that will be available via its upcoming, three-tier subscription service, and as terrible as subscription services are, at least there are going to be some interesting games to play. The three-tier system starts with the existing PlayStation Plus subscription, which will give…
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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,…
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Seven Pirates H is Idea Factory’s latest fan service special and even by Idea Factory’s standards for fan service this one *goes places*. So much so that while you’ll see plenty of examples of it in this video there is a bunch of stuff I just don’t want to risk…
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Seven Pirates H has hit my limit. I am more than happy to whip out Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, Gal*Gun, Hyperdimesnion Neptunia, Nekopara, or any other fanservicey Switch game that you can think of on the train or any other public space. I just don’t care if people look…
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Japan has a vibrant music industry, but it’s often tuned towards the domestic market, with copyright-drenched TV shows and a heavy emphasis on local tours. That can make it hard to enjoy your favourite acts, but there’s one wildly popular solution, and they’ve got something special on the way. It’s…
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Maono is very much a new kid on the block. This Chinese-based sound equipment manufacturer only began operations back in 2014, but if the Maonocaster E2 A is anything to go by, this company is going to turn some heads. With this incredibly affordable, robust, and versatile combination of production…
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Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia, which had previously released on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation, is out now on PC. This fantasy strategy game was developed by an all-star team whose members had previously worked on Final Fantasy, Xenoblade Chronicles and Disgaea, and is a must-have if you haven’t played it…
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On the ongoing recommendation of one of the regulars on the DDNet stream, I am going to play a bit of ANNO tonight. All I know is that it is a yuri-themed action-adventure game with RPG elements and a cyberpunk vibe. Honestly, I’m surprised it has taken me this long…
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Nippon Ichi is at its best when it is at its most inscrutable and inaccessible. The more heavily a NIS game’s humour leans into a surrealistic anime-style over-the-top tone (whether for comic effect or otherwise), and the more numbers the game can throw at players, the more they tend to…
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Sword and Fairy might not have the same prestige attached to it worldwide as Final Fantasy, but it’s no exaggeration to say that it is the Final Fantasy of China. The series has been around since 1995, and has been so popular in its homeland that it has spawned everything…
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