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 don’t often write about films these days, but I recently saw something at the Japan Film Festival in Australia that was powerful, profound, and haunting enough that it has since occupied all my thinking. Kokuho, directed by one of Japan’s most noteworthy art film directors, Lee Sang-il, is, as we enter an era where AI is undermining the very…
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is a good headset. This is by far the most uncontroversial thing I’ve ever written at DigitallyDownloaded.net, because with a price tag of AU$1350, you would hope that it’s a good headset. SteelSeries has packed as much sound quality as possible into this thing and,…
Disclaimer: I’m making this quick disclaimer so it’s clear and up-front. I…
Kirby Air Riders is fun. It’s not any more than that, and…
I had no idea that the original Pac-Man World was so well regarded. I had never played it, nor any of its sequels (despite being a general fan of the yellow pizza-man), but in researching the original for this review I did see that it was sold and reviewed very…
Read More“Princess Maker-likes,” like Lair Land Story, are a niche within a niche, but it’s a genre that can be oddly compelling. They’re spreadsheet simulators, in which 90 per cent of the game involves carefully managing a girl’s development by carefully selecting her daily activities. But while that might sound dull,…
Read More“I have finally built my case against Catcher in the Rye.” This tweet, spat out by a YA author a few days ago (along with a video in which they outline their “case”), should have been easy to ignore. It is exactly what you would expect from a YA author.…
Read MoreI finally have a Windows handheld console. See, here in Australia the thing is that they’re not all that easy to come by. The Steam Deck isn’t available here yet, the Ayaneo Next is over $2,000, and while the Ayaneo Air looks like a good option, it’s not landing until…
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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The Dee Dee Zine is a magazine for people who love games, music, film and art from Asia and independent artists. Every month we produce a magazine filled with essays and culture. In the August 2022 magazine (which you can purchase as a high-definition, printable pdf from our Payhip store),…
Read MoreThe big news in gaming this week is that Embracer Group has gone on yet another one of its spending sprees. This time around it has picked up everything from Tolkien’s Middle-Earth (from film to games), to Snow Bros. (Toaplan, in the company’s first-ever Japanese acquisition), and Limited Run Games…
Read MoreDefiant Development was a favourite Aussie studio. Responsible for the excellent Hand of Fate, and the even better Hand of Fate 2, this team of game development veterans were doing amazing work to build the local industry and create a franchise that had real potential. Unfortunately, Defiant couldn’t survive a…
Read MoreSoul Hackers 2 is a throwback to the glory days of Shin Megami Tensei. There was a point where Atlus’ premier property focused on ideas rather than sheer style, and some real classics came out of that approach. SMT 3: Nocturne and the Digital Devil Saga duo were my favourites…
Read MoreLittle Goody Two Shoes is a blend of horror, 90s anime aesthetics, and classic fairytales. It’s also an RPG being published by the Square Enix Collective, and it might just be my most anticipated game of 2023 now. The game is being developed by AstralShift, a Portuguese studio that was…
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