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.
Stellar Blade very much wants to be a merger of NieR: Automata and the Soulslike formula. It’s a flashy science fiction romp through a decrepit, decaying world, and the ambience is certainly going to be familiar to NieR fans. It’s also undeniably well-made. However, for all the comparisons people have been making to the likes of NieR: Automata and Bayonetta…
The dungeon crawl has been one of the most enduring genres of all. The original Wizardry – the game that essentially launched and popularised the genre, turns 45 next year. It’ll be well and truly ready for a mid-life crisis. In the years since we have seen so many classics…
One of my favourite things about Broken Roads is that every second…
I do not understand Sker Ritual. At all. It seems that at…
ANNO: Mutationem is a really decent action RPG blended with an adventure game, set in a cyberpunk world. This is good cyberpunk, too, not like that big corporate Cyberpunk game that felt like a big corporate take on cyberpunk. And now, ANNO is coming to the Nintendo Switch. The game…
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If you haven’t got your entry in yet, do it ASAP – the competition closes on FRIDAY, Australian time! It’s fuzzy, it’s cute, and it’s the perfect match for the most adorable cult simulator you’re ever going to play. Thanks to We Are Robots and Devolver Digital, we have a…
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Maono might just be my favourite “entry-level” sound equipment manufacturer. The previous Maono product that I tested, the Maonocaster E2 A sound production studio, is an excellent piece of kit that looked and felt premium. It has an excellent range of features, and does its job with minimal fuss. I…
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Releasing a “Soulslike” in the same year as Elden Ring is, I would argue, unwise. You’re never going to come off well in that comparison and it’s only going to result in your game being judged more harshly than it deserves to be. In that context, Thymesia really should have…
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“This is likely a huge turning point for the industry,” a guy on Twitter breathlessly enthuses, after it was revealed that MultiVersus has done quite well for itself at this early stage. Of course, it’s not uncommon for people to have breathlessly excited responses to games they kind of like…
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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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Super Bullet Break is a new roguelike that has been published by PQube, and it has so much going for it – great turn-based combat, gorgeous characters, excellent, pristine fan service. Unfortunately it misfired in one critical area, and got the difficulty mixed up a bit. That wasn’t enough to…
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Super Bullet Break is a happy, colourful thing. I know it’s going to rankle some to suggest that as overtly fanservicey as it could be “wholesome” or “innocent,” but that’s what Super Bullet Break is; a happy, high-energy, bubbly and wholesome thing. The game is a combination of two things.…
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I know this is a nice problem to have, but there are just so many games that 2022 has thrown up that deserve awards at the end of the year. It has been a monstrously good year for video games, especially if you like Japanese games, and The DioField Chronicle…
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While Game Freak continues to try and innovate within the Pokémon property, and find its next hit evolution (sorry for the pun, I couldn’t resist), there is still a loud demand for the “classical” monster-collecting formula. I feel that myself – I often find myself booting up my 3DS for…
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