Opinion by Matt S. As far as I’m concerned, the biggest problem that faces gaming as an art form is how easy it is proving to be for developers to use it for the purposes of pure propaganda. Whether it is an explicit recruitment tool for the army, or simply…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. There was some interesting news from outside of the games industry that is nonetheless of some meaningful relevance to video games for the reaction that is has provoked. The company that preserves the work of Dr. Seuss has decided that it will no longer publish six…
Read MoreArticle by Matt S. China, as one of the oldest continuous cultures and nations on the planet, has a long and deep literary history. Some of its greatest masterpieces were written well before Europeans invaded places like America and Australia and re-drew the maps to suit their colonial expansion. Across…
Read MoreGame Theory by Matt S. The seven-entry narrative arc that comprises the Yakuza series (0 through to 6) is considered by many to be a crowning glory of video game storytelling, and rightfully so. The arc takes Kiryu, his friends, rivals and special ward (Haruka) from impetuous youngsters right through…
Read MoreGame Theory by Matt S. Final Fantasy X turns 20 years old this year (yes, I do feel old now). Over that time it has been frequently re-released – originally exclusive to the PlayStation 2, you can now play it on your PlayStation 3, 4, Vita, Nintendo Switch, PC, and…
Read MoreWith Nioh and its sequel getting new-gen re-releases on PlayStation 5 this past week, I have been once again musing on the differences between Japanese and western games and, specifically, the way that yokai and the concept of Huakki Yagyo applies to the way that JRPGs are designed. In short,…
Read MoreGame Theory by Matt S. With Persona 5 Strikers just around the corner (and review embargo lifting in a few days), I figured I’d publish this piece that explains some of the underlying thinking that has gone into the Persona 5 mini-series. Let me know your thoughts! Persona 5 is…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. This is an out-and-out thought bubble that I’ve had musing around in my head for a while. It’s not a substantiated piece, but merely observational, based on how I see us talk about – and categorise – games in comparison to other art forms. The more…
Read MoreI think at this point the story of Cyberpunk 2077 is well-known and well-reported. It had a catastrophic launch on console that has done meaningful damage to the CD Projekt Red brand, and Sony even took the unprecedented step of removing the game from sale in its entirety at one…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. It’s always a silly idea to talk about politics on a video game website. The best that ever happens is that in response to the article you get a bunch of people signing up to screech at you to “keep politics out of video games,” before…
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