Video Games

Video Games Review: Mass Effect: Andromeda (PS4, 2016) isn’t great, it’s just good and that’s okay

Mass Effect has been a series on my personal review Bucket List for quite some time. I wasn’t yet working as a journalist and critic when Mass Effect 3 was released in 2012 and so Bioware’s big post-Shepard return to the series, Mass Effect: Andromeda, was in my sights. Having finally crossed this particular item off my bucket list,…

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EA officially announces Star Wars Battlefront II

Though its existence has been something of an open secret for a while now, Electronic Arts have formally announced the follow-up to their 2015 shooter Star Wars Battlefront. Moreover, Star Wars Battlefront II will have its first official showing at Star Wars Celebration 2017.

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Gear up, Guardian: Bungie announces Destiny 2

Destiny 2 is the official title of the sequel to Bungie’s monster hit MMO shooter Destiny. The developer took to the game’s official Twitter account to put an end to rumours that began to swirl last week.

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Video Games Review: Super Bomberman R brings the 8-bit era hero to a new generation, but mines familiar territory

Bomberman is one of those gaming franchises that has achieved Institution status. For many of us, even those of us who were born in the Eighties like me, it seems like the little guy has always been around. After series developer Hudson Soft folded up in 2012, it seemed like Bomberman‘s generation spanning run had finally…

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GX Australia will not return in 2018

GX Australia, Australia’s only video games convention dedicated to LGBTQ+ developers and fans, will open the doors on its second and — for now — final show next month. The news that the show will not be back in 2018 was announced this morning via the show’s official Kickstarter page.

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Blizzard announces StarCraft: Remastered coming mid-year

Blizzard Entertainment are revisiting their 1998 megahit RTS StarCraft, and its expansion StarCraft: Brood War, releasing a new high-definition version dubbed StarCraft: Remastered. The announcement was made by Blizzard president Mike Morhaime in Seoul, South Korea this afternoon at the I <3 StarCraft fan event. Hit the jump to see it in all its glory.

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Video Games Review: NieR: Automata (PS4, 2017) is a violent, gorgeous cut above the rest

NieR: Automata is immediately recognisable as a special game, which thrives on its world, characters, mechanics and ultimately the questions it raises and how they are posed to the player. While remaining engaging and thought provoking, platinum games brings back the combat mechanics seen in their previous titles such as Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising…

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Tesla’s next Australian store will be in Brisbane

Electric vehicle manufacturer and darling of armchair technocrats everywhere Tesla are planning on opening a combined service centre and showroom in the Queensland capital of Brisbane. The move marks the company’s first foray into the Queensland market.

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Pokemon developer Game Freak is hiring staff for a mystery console title

Pokemon developer Game Freak have caused a bit of a stir in the last few days following a pair of openings on job recruitment website Indeed. While there’s certainly nothing set in stone at this point, there are several indicators that point to a potential new console-based Pokemon title.

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Video Games Review: Snipperclips (Switch, 2017) is the perfect pick-up-and-play puzzler for showing off your new Switch

Snipperclips is a game that sees two or more players using their Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers to manipulate their own bell-shaped paper blob to overlap other players and use their bodies to cut shapes into their friends. These shapes are then used to solve any number of geometric puzzles. That’s it. That’s the whole game….

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PSA: Starting a new game in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will overwrite your old saves

Have you already run out of things to do in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and are thinking about starting a new game? Maybe your partner or sibling wants to start a game of their own? Previous Zelda titles have made allowances for situations just like these, providing up to three save slots so…

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Video Games Review: FlatOut 4: Total Insanity (Xbox One, 2017) can’t capitalise on its own simple concept

Who doesn’t love a crash-centric arcade racer? Throw in every physics-based toy you can think of, from ragdolls to realistic vehicle damage, with a difficulty curve that could generously be described as “mean-spirited” and you’ve got the recipe for FlatOut 4.

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Video Games Review: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, 2017) makes the act of discovery itself your greatest reward

I spent a good half an hour trying to come up with a headline for this review before settling on the one you just clicked on. I spent a lot longer trying to review the game itself — you may notice that we’re coming in rather later with this review than some of our contemporaries. The…

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Video Games Review: Styx: Shards of Darkness (PS4, 2017) is quiet in its brilliance

Despite being a spin-off of popular RPG Of Orcs and Men, the Styx franchise has largely flown under the radar in the stealth genre. The first game, Master of Shadows, was a digital-only release, but with its newest entry, it’s finally time for the series to get the attention it deserves. Simply put, Styx: Shards…

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EXCLUSIVE: Check out these never-before seen Office Christmas Party deleted scenes

With Office Christmas Party releasing today on Bluray and DVD, we’ve got three exclusive, brand-new deleted scenes from the film to get you hype. Hit the jump for your afternoon dose of free funny.

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About time: Pandora Premium finally adds on-demand streaming

Music streaming platform Pandora has always been a popular destination for music fans who just want to hear some tunes with a minimum of fuss. Its users are less fussy that than of Spotify, Tidal or Apple Music, preferring to let Pandora shuffle up the tunes on its own. Having said all of that, users who…

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SXSW 2017: The SXSW Accelerator winners have been announced

The SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event is designed to give 50 young startups the opportunity to pitch their ideas and potential killer apps to a live audience and get instant feedback. This year’s contestants were broken down into groups of five across ten categories, and we now have the winners.

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Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy will be unrelated to the films, PAX East trailer likely

Telltale Games have released a number of screens from their forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy adventure title, their first in conjunction with Marvel Comics, but acknowledge that their story is entirely separate from the popular Marvel Studios films.

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Video Games Review: Death Squared (PS4, 2017) makes death a learning experience

Over the course of the first 50 levels of Death Squared, I accidentally sent my loyal robot companions to their deaths over 260 times. But each time, I learned something new, and was able to press on to new and greater heights in the game. The further I delved into the game, the more I…

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Middle-earth: Shadow of War releases first gameplay trailer

Monolith Productions’ Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the upcoming sequel to their 2014 surprise hit Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, has given fans their first look at the game in action.

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Scott Ludlam and The Greens unveil plan to restore the Australian video games industry, and it starts in WA

Western Australian Greens senator Scott Ludlam has unveiled a new plan to boost the Australian video games industry overnight. The plan seeks to reinstate the Australian Interactive Games Fund, but also looks to turn the Western Australian capital Perth into the new hub of Australian games development

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Quake Champions closed beta registration is now open

The era of the team-based multiplayer shooter has well and truly returned. A closed beta for Quake Champions, Bethesda’s revival of the classic id Software franchise, is, according to this morning’s press release, “expected to begin in the coming weeks,” and sign ups are now open.

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There is a secret message hidden within your Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

For those who grabbed the $99.95 Nintendo Switch Pro controller on Friday, you might be surprised to know that your shiny new controller bears a secret message.

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These are all the games available on the Nintendo Switch eShop right now

For those who picked up  Nintendo Switch yesterday, there was one must-have software purchase — The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But what about those looking to try something other than Zelda? We know there’s one or two of you, and we want you to know that we hear you. With that in mind, here’s…

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Video Games Review: Gravity Rush 2 (PS4, 2017) can’t quite grasp the concept of cohesion in gameplay or storytelling

I never played 2012’s Gravity Rush. At the time it was almost a PS Vita must have. Not only because it was one of the few stand out games on the handheld but because its main feature required you to move the console around, basically showing off the fancy features of the then, fairly new…

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Video Games Review: Horizon: Zero Dawn distills the best parts of its many influences to create something truly amazing

During my first six hours with Horizon: Zero Dawn a phrase appeared in my head and got lodged there, as phrases like to do when you write for a living. The phrase in question was “This is once-in-a-hardware-generation stuff.” It stuck with me as my playthrough progressed, and it wasn’t until I’d been away from the game…

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Nintendo Switch: What we’d like to see

Like its predecessors, the Nintendo Switch is a console with an awful lot of potential. Its portable screen and multi-format controllers mean that the door to any number of innovative new game and app design ideas has been flung wide open. Here now, in no particular order, are a ways the Nintendo Switch could innovate…

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Video Games Review: Dragon Ball Fusions (Nintendo 3DS, 2017)

As a fan of the Dragon Ball franchise, its newest handheld entry, Dragon Ball Fusions, was an absolute delight. Blending the colourful characters of Akira Toriyama’s ever-expanding series with surprisingly addictive turn-based gameplay, Fusions provides an entertaining and gorgeous-looking romp through the many worlds and environments of the Dragon Ball series. While it may not…

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Warner Bros. announces Middle-earth: Shadow of War following Target Canada leaks

Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the direct sequel to the 2014 sleeper hit Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, will release on August 22 on all major platforms. The announcement comes a day after images of the game leaked via a pre-order listing on Target Canada’s website yesterday.

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Target Canada may have accidentally revealed a Shadow of Mordor sequel

2014’s Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor was one of that year’s biggest gaming surprises. A glorious combination of Batman: Arkham City‘s combat and the upgrade tree of a Saints Row title, along with one of the most innovative systems for handling enemy AI to come along in years, it was practically screaming for a sequel. Bar a few unsubstantiated rumours,…

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