LEGO Party! is one of those games you expect to pick up for a quick session and suddenly realise you’ve sunk hours into. Taking the unmistakable structure of Mario Party — board traversal, mini-game mayhem and star collecting — it adds Lego’s signature charm and, more importantly, its precision. Where Nintendo leans into chaos and…
Have you ever sat in a massage chair and received a deep, intense tissue massage while playing a handheld? Thanks to the Xbox booth at PAX 2025, I can now say that I have. Whether it’s to ease us into those price hikes from Xbox Game Pass or just simply a gesture of goodwill, the…
Yes! It exists, and you can play it! Originally set for release on October 3rd, Gearbox Software announced that the game was delayed indefinitely and all pre-orders were able to be refunded. It wasn’t looking good for the future of this highly anticipated game on the Nintendo Switch 2 console. Surprisingly, tucked away in the…
Up until today, I was very confused as to why Nintendo was releasing Mario Kart World and Kirby Air Riders, two kart racers, in the first six months of the Nintendo Switch 2’s lifecycle. The Kirby Air Riders Nintendo Direct had me thinking that these games were very similar, just with a different character roster….
Pokémon jumps to the next generation with its first full game on the Nintendo Switch 2. Following the massive success of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, we get a game in the same style with a brand new gameplay mechanic and fabulous Paris setting to explore. Being confined to a city is a new thing for the series,…
For years, kart racing has been Nintendo’s home turf. Mario Kart World proved that Nintendo could still dominate the genre, but it also played things incredibly safe. This time around, SEGA has attempted to offer a decent Sonic counterpart, with highlights like Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed, but has struggled with games like Team…
It has been five years since COVID-19 stalled Victoria’s tourism sector. With borders shut and lockdowns dragging on, once-bustling regions like the Great Ocean Road saw visitor numbers plummet. But the rebound has been remarkable: 2.6 million visitors made the trip in 2023, climbing to 3.3 million in 2024, the highest on record. To see…
With less than a month to go, PAX Australia 2025 is shaping up to be one of the biggest celebrations of gaming culture in the country’s history. Returning to Melbourne this October, the three-day festival has revealed a blockbuster exhibitor line-up that brings together the biggest names in gaming, unmissable activations, exclusive demos, and a…
Nintendo’s September Direct came loaded with surprises — from long-awaited Switch 2 titles and a celebration of Super Mario Bros.’ upcoming 40th anniversary, to long-rumoured sequels finally stepping into the spotlight. Highlights included the return of both Super Mario Galaxy games on Switch 2, the reveal of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (set for April…
Kirby is no stranger to reinvention. For over three decades, Nintendo’s pink hero has shape-shifted through 2D platformers, spin-offs, party games, and even pinball. Yet 2022’s Kirby and the Forgotten Land felt like a genuine breakthrough the moment when HAL Laboratory finally committed to a fully 3D Kirby adventure, blending classic charm with bold new…
Gears of War: Reloaded is a strange beast; a remaster of a remaster, almost 20 years after the original defined an era of cover-based shooters on Xbox 360. For many, this was the game that shaped what third-person action could look and feel like. Its influence is undeniable, paving the way for the likes of…
Whenever a classic series like Shinobi makes a return, we are torn between excitement and anxiety. Will it honour its roots, or lean too heavily on nostalgia? Will it reinvent itself to the point of being unrecognisable? Or worse, will it simply be forgettable? Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, developed by Lizardcube, confidently cuts through those…
Nintendo has officially unveiled Kirby Air Riders , the long-awaited follow-up to 2004’s Kirby Air Ride, and it looks like we are in for a treat. Revealed during yesterday’s Kirby Air Riders Direct, legendary director Masahiro Sakurai walked through the game’s new features, returning favourites, and expanded modes. The game launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2…
It’s almost impossible to overstate the cultural weight of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. From the moment The Hobbit was first published in 1937, the world he built has continued to capture imaginations, inspiring countless adaptations, games, and creative works. Most video games based on The Lord of the Rings have followed a fairly predictable formula, epic…
One of the biggest gaming events of the year Gamescom is back upon us. The next four days will have gaming studios and hardware makers make big announcements, world premieres and updates on their projects. The opening night started at 4am AEST this morning, bringing with it a ton of new games and updates on…
Nintendo has a long history of taking sports games in unexpected directions. They turned tennis into a Mushroom Kingdom showdown, turned kart racing into an all-out weaponised brawl, and made golf somehow involve chain chomps. Now, with Drag X Drive, they’ve taken one of the most technical, fast-paced adaptive sports — wheelchair basketball — and…
When Super Mario Party Jamboree launched on the original Switch, it genuinely surprised me. What looked like another family-friendly board game romp turned out to be one of the most fun and fully-realised party games Nintendo has ever made. Fast-forward to its new incarnation on the Switch 2, bundled with the shiny new Jamboree TV…
Nothing could have prepared me for the full weight of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster on Nintendo Switch 2. I knew going in that it was an enhanced re-release of a cult-favourite Square Enix RPG originally on the 3DS. I knew there would be tactical turn-based battles, branching strategies, and a Job system built…
When it comes to home cleaning tech, we’re constantly asking for devices that are smarter, lighter, and less of a pain to maintain. Enter the Tineco Carpet One Cruiser, a sleek and intelligent carpet cleaner that might just make you rethink how often you deep-clean your floors (in my case, definitely not enough!). Retailing at…
SteelSeries has long been a staple in the gaming audio space, and the Arctis Nova 3X Wireless slots neatly into their growing Nova lineup as a feature-packed, affordable option for gamers seeking wireless freedom without breaking the bank. Priced at just A$199, it nestles between the entry-level wired Nova 1 and the premium Nova 5,…
PAX Aus 2025 is shaping up to be a must-attend event for gamers and pop culture fans alike, with a stacked guest list that spans award-winning voice actors, renowned tabletop designers, comedy legends, and beloved content creators from across the globe. Leading the charge is Amelia Tyler, the ethereal voice behind the Narrator in Baldur’s…
In a market saturated with high-performance gaming monitors, Dell’s Alienware AW2725DM quietly enters the scene as a wallet-friendly option aimed at gamers who want solid specs without splurging on OLED or full HDR600-level features. I have had this monitor for a few weeks and been able to test everything from the PS5 Pro, a 4K…
Motorola is quietly making waves again in the mid-range smartphone market, and the Edge 60 Fusion is proof that you don’t need to fork out a fortune for a premium experience. Arriving a year after the well-received Edge 50 Fusion, this update keeps the stylish design but packs in some hefty upgrades, without bumping up…
Yesterday, Nintendo Australia hosted an exclusive event in Melbourne, offering us a first look at the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2. Alongside some other select media and content creators, we were allowed four hours with some of the most anticipated titles coming to the Switch 2, including Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza and Metroid…
The Doom franchise charges into new territory with Doom: The Dark Ages, delivering a fresh take on its signature demon-slaying mayhem. Set against a medieval backdrop, this latest instalment maintains the series’ core identity while introducing innovative elements that breathe new life into the formula. The Doom Slayer returns, now armed with period-appropriate weaponry alongside…
Tinā is the feature debut from writer/director Miki Magasiva. The film might appear on the surface a classic underdog tale, but it quickly proves itself to be something richer and more resonant; coming off earlier contributions to Teine Sā and We Are Still Here, Magasiva brings a fresh, heartfelt perspective to this deeply communal story….
South of Midnight is a bold, haunting, and beautiful journey into the heart of the American South, it is one that few games have ever dared to explore, let alone with this much soul and a level of attention to detail that most games aspire to reach. Developed by Compulsion Games, South of Midnight blends…
The Handmaid’s Tale has always meant different things to different people; a cautionary tale, a grim prophecy, or a dramatised echo of historical truths. Over its run it’s drawn praise and criticism in equal measure, and now, as it enters its final season, it faces the daunting task of delivering a satisfying conclusion, while also…
It’s been two years since The Last of Us Season 1 became a cultural phenomenon on HBO. The second season of the show is adapting the video game “The Last of Us Part II”, and strangely enough in the first 5 minutes of the season opener, the show just randomly spoils the big twist from…
Last year was big for 27-inch OLED gaming monitors. Standouts like the Asus ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG, MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED, and Alienware’s own AW2725DF delivered top-tier performance, though they were all limited to QHD (2560 x 1440) resolution. Now, Alienware has kicked off 2025 by pushing the pixel envelope. Meet the Alienware AW2725Q, a…
