Matthew Arcari is the games and technology editor at The AU Review. You can find him on X at @sirchunkee, or at the Dagobah System, chilling with Luke and Yoda.
For a franchise centred around the conflict of war, covering several eras and stories, it’s clear that Battlefield 2042 had one target left in mind; itself. What follows is an incredibly frustrating blend of smooth action and refined gunplay, paired with numerous bugs and glitches, and the overall lack of depth within its mainline modes….
Let’s get one thing out of the way. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is without a doubt my favourite entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise and one of my favourite games of all time. So you can imagine my excitement when Rockstar had announced Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition, containing Grand Theft…
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s return to a World War II setting is not without its merit. Since Call of Duty: WWII, the franchise had cycled back around to a Modern Warfare revival and two Black Ops titles. But was this era worth revisiting? In many respects, yes; and no. Call of Duty: Vanguard plays its…
My time with Bright Memory: Infinite has been interesting, to say the least. As I loaded up my assault rifle, picking off enemies in the distance, I quickly navigated my surroundings. I bounced off walls to get across precarious chasms. I hacked and slashed my way through obtrusive enemies. I participated in lighting fast quick…
We recently got the chance to participate in a Closed Network Test of Elden Ring, developer FromSoftware’s Souls-inspired epic. This beta version of the game featured a contained portion of its open world, allowing us to explore, battle and most importantly, survive. I would liken my time with Elden Ring to Dark Souls 3 –…
We recently got the chance to chat with Narrative Designer, Alexa Ray Corriea and Associate Narrative Designer, Belinda Garcia from Sledgehammer Games about the upcoming World War 2 shooter, Call of Duty Vanguard, and the engaging narrative that binds four unique characters together. What sets this WW2 story apart from previous WW2 campaigns within the…
The screen is dark. The sound of an engine roaring pierces the air, as the back on a cargo plane opens. Suddenly, your vehicle drops out of the back, parachuting down to a dense, colourful Mexican landscape. As soon as you land, you blast onto the road, on your way to your first Horizon Festival….
I owe the Mario Party franchise a great deal of credit. It’s responsible for some of the best gaming moments I’ve had on a Nintendo console. While Mario Party 3 will always remain my favourite, it’s safe to say that the franchise faltered in recent years, prompting me to drift away from the iconic mini-games…
I have to be honest. After publisher Square Enix’s last Marvel themed outing, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy instilled a sizeable amount of doubt within me. Sure, Marvel’s Avengers was a fun cooperative experience, but it lacked any depth and heart. It seems as though the second time is the charm, as Marvel’s Guardians of…
PlayStation’s October State of Play rolled around this morning, with a fresh focus on third party titles and indie games. While some announcements unveiled some entirely new and unseen projects, it was also nice to see some indie games getting the love with some expanse updates. And with that, let’s have a look at the…
If you’re old enough, you might remember getting your first taste of Age of Empires, along with a bite of nutritious cereal, from a Nutri-Grain box. It’s also hard to believe that sweet moment from my childhood was also almost 20-years ago. Damn. Well apparently so do the team at Microsoft were fond of this…
343 Industries revealed the latest look at Halo Infinite overnight, presenting an action-packed look at what Halo fans can expect from the campaign, when it launches on December 8. Accompanied by that sweet, glorious Halo theme, we get to see Master Chief embark on a quest to track down what remains of Cortana, as the…
As a fan of both the Rocky film series and the sport of boxing in general, I often wonder about the next definitive boxing game. Believe it or not, it’s been a decade since EA Sport’s Fight Night Champion, which I still dip back into until this very day. And then I saw it; the…
Leave it to Hideo Kojima to release Death Stranding Director’s Cut, the expanded version of a game over which he had complete creative control. It’s no secret that Death Stranding landed amid huge anticipation and excitement. It was then met with either an overwhelming sense of confusion and, in some circles, accusations of pretentiousness, or…
The Far Cry series has faltered over the past few years. Recent iterations were either lacking immersive worlds, memorable villains, innovative gameplay, or all three. While far from terrible, it’s clear that nothing has been as good as the darling that is Far Cry 3. And it seems as though Ubisoft has heard. Far Cry…
Battlefield 2042 might just be enough to bring me back to Battlefield. In BF’s recent absence, Warzone and Modern Warfare have drawn many competitive shooter fans over to the Call of Duty franchise in the past few years. myself included. But a recent hands-on with Battlefield 2042’s Open Beta reminded me exactly why I’ve missed the…
FIFA 22 takes the term “next-generation” pretty seriously. And it should. With every new console generation, the FIFA franchise takes major steps forward. New hardware presents an opportunity to reinvent FIFA‘s visuals, mechanics and add a range of new game modes. However, I wouldn’t blame fans for feeling disillusioned with the series in recent years. Most…
It’s that military shooter end of the year again, and Call of Duty Vanguard is hot on the horizon. A franchise well known for its collection of action-packed World War 2 shooters has come full circle, as developer Sledgehammer Games have opted in to take Call of Duty: Vanguard back in time for an old…
NBA 2K22 couldn’t have arrived at a better time. It’s been a rough couple of seasons for the NBA. A global pandemic, postponed games, bubble playoffs, shortened seasons and play-in tournaments have charted a new future for the sport. The lone beacon of consistency: that the NBA 2K franchise will smash out its annual instalment,…
Believe it or not, Call of Duty: Vanguard was just announced. And with that release trailer barely two weeks old, PlayStation owners got the chance to test a slice of the multiplayer pie that is yet to come; Champion Hill. For what’s being touted as a brand new mode, feels like a callback to the…
If you’re an NBA fan like I am, this time of the year feels different. Spring is on the way for us Australians, and there’s just something special in the air. The fact that a new NBA 2K game is upon us, that is. Even though the wait is almost over, fans were gifted a…
Since the original, No More Heroes has provided its fans with competent combat, expressive visuals and a consistent sense of humour that allows characters with names like Travis Touchdown to remain memorable and relevant. It is with No More Heroes 3 that Travis returns to a world of intergalactic assassins, fourth-wall-breaking jokes and a combat…
The Saints Row franchise is being treated to a welcome reboot. The zany antics and humour the series is known for appear to be back in full force. In a fresh trailer shown at Gamescom 2021, this reboot will simply be titled Saints Row. The trailer is centred around a group of four friends, scouting…
Marvel Madness continues with a new trailer, featuring a combination of some of Marvel’s most popular superheroes, including Wolverine, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel and Ghost Rider. This is Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Based on the Midnight Sons comic run, the game is touted as a tactical RPG at heart. This cinematic trailer showcased the depth and…
The recent reveal of Call of Duty Vanguard left fans excited for a return to World War 2. However, it wasn’t until this morning’s Gamescom 2021 gameplay walkthrough that we were treated to a much more impressive look at the upcoming campaign. Editor’s note: Covering video games produced by Activision Blizzard is fraught at present….
It’s safe to say that Dying Light 2 has had a lengthy development run leading up to the next generation of consoles. An indefinite delay has turned itself into one of the most promising zombie titles in recent memory, packed with tense action, incredible set pieces, and that smooth parkour that made the first Dying…
The hotly anticipated Flight Simulator DLC, World Update 6, is coming in early September. With Microsoft Flight Simulator releasing on Xbox’s next-generation consoles last month, a whole new group of enthusiasts have been sinking their teeth into one of the best iterations in the long running series, with incredible visuals and clever controller functionality. But…
Sea of Thieves is no stranger to mayhem, nor a good crossover event. The game’s recent resurgence, thanks to Xbox Game Pass, is drawing in more players than ever. So much so, that Pirates of the Caribbean wanted in, bringing Jack Sparrow, the Black Pearl and a range of new and exciting content. If that…
Basketball mania continues! The NBA Finals are drawing to a close, offseason madness is set to begin and we were treated to some sweet NBA 2K22 cover athlete announcements. To top it all off, we got the chance to speak with the team at Visual Concepts and 2K Games as Mike Wang (Gameplay Director), Erick…
You spawn on an open battlefield, side by side with your teammates. As you are given a rousing speech, the match begins. You burst out, sprinting with all your might, letting out an outrageously wonky and exaggerated battlecry, as you hurdle towards the opposing faction. Sword and shield in hand, you crash into a wall…
