Opinion by Matt S. Yesterday/earlier today (depending on where you are in the world) Nintendo hosted a joyful little showcase of “indie” games, including a big pile of same-day drops onto the Nintendo Switch. It was actually one of Nintendo’s better performances this year, with a wall-to-wall dose of high…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. Microsoft had some pretty big news to share overnight (for we Aussies it’s always overnight): the release window for its “next generation” console, the Xbox Series X, has narrowed further. For some reason, we still don’t have an exact date, but it’ll be in November. This…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. One of the core discussions within any field of art is that of the “masterpiece” – what makes a work a masterpiece (yes, it’s more than “it’s really good), and why are masterpieces important? It’s also a word that is very commonly misused in the videogame…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. There’s a great piece over at Gamasutra, titled “are platforms devaluing games to gain market share?” It looks at how, between free game giveaways by the likes of the Epic Game Store, and subscription-based services such as what Microsoft’s doing, people are accumulating more games that…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. Earlier this week, Nintendo hosted a mini-direct, and while the announcements didn’t necessarily go down well with everyone, there were some real gems in there. One of the big ones was the announcement of a remake of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (or Lucifer’s Call in some…
Read MoreGame Theory by Matt S. Note: To be upfront and fair, there are major spoilers for Death Come True and The Caligula Effect ahead. Don’t read on unless you’re comfortable reading discussion about the endings of these two games. Four years ago, an artist named Matsuda Keiichi produced a wonderful…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. Video games are art. It’s something that we’ve long accepted and demanded that those outside of the games industry also accept. There’s certainly no denying that games are art, either – whether it’s the philosophical intelligence of Yoko Taro’s NieR: Automata, the aesthetic beauty of a…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. I’m going to write a list of names for you. I’m hoping that you’ll spot where this is going immediately, but there will be one name that stands out because they don’t really belong. See if you can spot which one it is: Shakespeare, Wilde, Mishima,…
Read MoreOpinion by Matt S. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That famous quote from philosopher George Santayana is of particular relevance to the video game industry. As the world’s most popular and widespread form of entertainment, video games have impact and shape how people view…
Read Moreby TsuChanJohnson Editor’s intro: One of the most common discussions that continues to pop up every few months in video games is the way that some Japanese games depict female characters – particularly when they start wearing school uniforms or the anime aesthetic means that they look youthful. Every time…
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