 It’s that time again for the period of uproarious excitement formerly known as E3 events season. While the Electronic Entertainment Expo itself may be gone, the legacy of companies taking to virtual stages in June continues, and we’ve had plenty of updates, so much so that there should be something for everyone. So, without further ado, we hand over to our crack team of gaming event seasoned veterans, who remember every Ubisoft Just Dance performance, every PlayStation extended flute solo, every soaring Reggie Fils-Aime speech, every celebrity cameo, and every ridiculous price point. What were your highlights this year? Let us know in the Discord.
The Outer Worlds 2 and High on Life 2 | Chris Brand  I can't remember the last time I was as invested in a new IP as I was upon first playing The Outer Worlds. Looking back at our review, I'm reminded that it was a rather short experience, though that only left me wanting more. Obsidian created a rather bleak world and I was fully immersed, already excited for the next game as the credits rolled. Very excited. Even years later, I'd still count it among my all-time favourite games. Yet, some aspects fell flat. Overall, it was pretty solid, though my biggest gripe was the Flaws system. Unique, but lacking any real depth. Fortunately, the sequel has apparently overhauled this mechanic (along with many others) in a huge way, and the original now seems almost like a glorified tech demo. Almost. Yet another sequel that caught my eye was High on Life 2. Life (human life, at least) is now being used as an antidepressant, rather than a narcotic. Aliens are determined to find some kind of use for us, despite humanity's attempts to prove ourselves to be more of an effort than we're worth. My initial impression is that the follow up will be more of the same. But with the added bells and whistles that we expect when a 2 is present in the title. Even without the new fancy things, I'd be interested in seeing what weird and wonderful characters pop up. Returning me-favourite character, Knifey, was enough to sell me on a sequel. Too bad that most games could be coming with a high enough price point that many won't get the recognition they deserve. Chronicles: Medieval and Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver | Liam Andrews  This was one of the first year’s where I found it too easy to miss most of the live events or shows, but looking through all the announcements there were a couple of games that stood out.
I enjoy a good medieval game, I spent a lot of hours in the first Mount and Blade on Xbox, as well as the two Chivalry games, so Chronicles: Medieval was an exciting announcement for me. The lack of proper gameplay footage is always a bit disappointing, but from reading more about it, it sounds like it’ll be a mash up of Mount and Blade’s ‘start from nothing and become King’ gameplay and Chivalry’s satisfyingly brutal combat, which would be a brilliant combination. Tom Hardy’s involvement suggests quite a bit of money is behind the project, and while most of the trailer was pre-rendered and what looked like gameplay was probably running on a supercomputer, it did look very impressive, and I am looking forward to seeing more. The other game that caught my eye was Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver. The brief gameplay we were shown looked really cool with Spider-Verse style animation and some eye-catching visuals and effects. Supporting co-op is also a nice bonus, hopefully a release date isn’t too far away.  With Star Wars Celebration bringing us news of a brand new adventure from a galaxy far, far away in the form of strategy title Star Wars: Zero Company, we’ve been thinking back at our favourite games from years past. This new title is a strategy game from Bit Reactor, former developers from Firaxis Games, which brought us Civilization and the original XCOM, and marks the first time we can remember in a while that Star Wars has had the strategy game treatment – outside of mobile games at least. Star Wars and gaming has a long history, with the first tie-in released back in 1982 for The Empire Strikes Back, so there’s plenty to choose from. Which game is strongest in The Force for you? Let us know in our Discord.
Knights of the Old Republic| Chris Brand  I've waxed lyrical about Knights of the Old Republic before, but it deserves another mention as one of the greatest Star Wars titles ever conceptualised. Though it was close between this and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, KOTOR just edges it with its more fluid approach to storytelling. Whilst Cal Kestis is undoubtedly one of the good guys, KOTOR presents multiple moral quandaries which can shift your Dark/Light alignment, allowing you to be the exact kind of hero, or villain, you desire. The freedom to make sure each character gets what they truly deserve is something I'd like to explore one day, however, every playthrough so far has seen me drift over to the Dark Side. Though I can't be sure of this, it certainly feels much harder to resist the pull of the Dark Side than in other titles with a morality, or reputation, system. It could be that this was an intentional development decision to give the story a bit more of a bite, or maybe if I turn the microscope on myself I'll find that I'm just not a very good person. Given that my player character usually ends up with "Darth" in their name before I've even started playing, it's probably the latter. As much as I enjoy revisiting KOTOR, it's a hard game to recommend today due to its advanced age. It can run a little slow, is a tad too choppy at times, and the controls are just good enough to be passable, while still feeling like nothing is quite right. I'm almost certain that you, person reading this, have fought through worse games before just to give them a fair chance, but the long-awaited remake could potentially fix most of these issues. A virtue, patience is. The Clone Wars and Bounty Hunter | Liam Andrews  With James championing Rogue Squadron (which is the correct choice for best Star Wars games) I thought I’d use this opportunity to talk up two of my other favourite games set in a galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars probably wouldn’t be most people’s choice for best Star Wars game, but I thought it was very enjoyable. The Jedi hover tanks were super fun to control and taking out waves of droids with the LAAT clone trooper ships and their big green lasers was very satisfying. I also really enjoyed the game’s multiplayer modes, especially the Geonosis level where you tried to last as long as possible against waves of enemies in the arena, which was great fun with friends. My other pick is another Clone Wars era game: Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. I always like it when tie-in games expand upon the source material’s story, and Bounty Hunter does that nicely, explaining how Jango Fett comes to be chosen as the blueprint for the clone army. It’s also a lot of fun playing as a Mandalorian and using a jetpack, wrist mounted flamethrowers and double blaster pistols to take out enemies. Honourable mentions go to 2015’s Star Wars Battlefront for its highly addictive Drop Zone game mode, as well as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for its superb story and combat.  The second of the recent Nintendo Directs brought a smattering of technical details, a few game reveals, and plenty of distinctly Nintendo bits and pieces to get us interested in the new Nintendo Switch 2. As well as that we got a release date and price: 5 June and £399.99 – unless world trade changes things before then, of course. So, what did you make of it? Are you more or less excited now? Does the price make you think twice? Natter about it in the Discord.
GameCube titles and improved Switch games | Liam Andrews  One of the biggest highlights for me from the Direct was GameCube games being added to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass. The GameCube was probably my favourite console so I’m very happy to see it finally being added to NSO, and the initial library of games looks good. The inclusion of The Wind Waker as a launch title pretty much confirms we’re never getting a port of the Wii U HD remaster, but it’s such a fantastic game I will more than happily play the original version again. My other highlight was upgraded versions of old Switch games. As someone who still hasn’t gotten around to playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, I’m quite glad I ended up waiting as I now get to experience it with updated visuals and improved performance. Releasing the upgraded games as more expensive Switch 2 versions was a bit disappointing, but the being able to access them through the NSO Expansion Pass softens the blow somewhat. Donkey Kong Bananza was another title that looked great, I liked the mix of 2D and 3D platforming and the destructible environment seems like it’s going to be a lot of fun to play with. I am also extremely happy to see the new Pro Controller will finally have a headphone jack! Mario Kart World | Chris Brand The big reveal of the true function of The Mystery Button™ was rather anti-climactic after I'd hyped myself up imagining the endless possibilities.
As someone who hasn't owned a Nintendo console in months (hundreds and hundreds of months), I wasn't aware that game chat was a big enough request to warrant its own dedicated button. Maybe Nintendo folks are just more friendly than everyone else? Putting aside my gripes about the Button of Disappointment, Mario Kart World looks like the game everyone wanted without realising it. It's quite a departure from the standard kart racing fare, with discrete tracks connected by an open world and a whopping 24 players able to compete at once. It sounds genuinely chaotic, which is where Mario Kart really shines. I think things may have fallen apart for a lot of people when the cost of everything was revealed. A higher price for the console itself is not too surprising (and, from what we've seen, it's justified too) but the pricing of first-party games is higher than expected and Nintendo does an Astrobot – a glorified tech demo showing off the Switch 2 itself – having a price tag at all just smacks of corporate greed. Has the world's richest plumber run into financial problems? Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't even have his own console anymore but that dude can still afford to fund three films. The flip side of this is Nintendo's new GameShare feature, which allows you to share select titles with friends who don't own said titles. It may be the case that the price point for games is higher to mitigate their losses for implementing this feature, in which case it's understandable, but will still leave a bitter taste in the mouths of fans.  It’s Nintendo season, and with the Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct only days away, the iconic Japanese gaming company has already spoiled us with another Direct talking about software coming to the original Switch. Not only that, but theory talked about an interesting software update coming to the Switch in April, which gives us an indication of what the Switch 2 experience might be like – and how they are going to succeed in convincing you need one day one. What stood out for you at the Direct? What are your predictions for the Switch 2 update? Let us know in our Discord.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion and Shadow Labyrinth | Chris Brand Upon first seeing the trailer, I was surprised that Marvel Cosmic Invasion doesn't already exist. It seems like an obvious idea that should have been done many times before, but here we are with a brand new Marvel beat 'em up. It seems like The Avengers and X-Men will make up the bulk of the roster, but there's room for a few lesser-known characters outside of the usual suspects. It's an even more attractive package with the promise of 4-player co-op, despite me lacking the required number of friends to really make the most of it, but at least I only need to find 3 more to give it a go. This may have flown under my radar and landed quietly in the corner without me even noticing, if it wasn't for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge being the absolute best that the genre has to offer. The other thing that caught my eye was Shadow Labyrinth. When it comes to boring, tedious, soul-crushingly dull games, Pac-Man is unmatched. But the pointless yellow circle has been completely reimagined in, what I'm calling, a reboot of the series. The story of Shadow Labyrinth eluded me each time I rewatched that section, though I assume it doesn't differ all that much from the original: you swallow hundreds of pills and fight ghosts. But this time, Pac-Man is known as Puck and he's more of a side-kick or a pet. Kind of like how Tintin has his stupid little dog, or how Elon Musk has Donald Trump. Thankfully, they've kept the only good aspect of the franchise which is, of course, the iconic waka-waka noise. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond | LiaM ANDREWS  I’m a big fan of Metroid Prime. I enjoyed the original back in 2002, and the 2023 remaster was my personal game of the year, so it’s no surprise that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was my highlight of the Direct.
The gameplay shown off looked great, and I really like the look of the new location, Viewros, with its lush jungle setting. The opening few moments of the trailer nailed that Metroid Prime feeling, especially with the melancholic operatic music and I can’t wait to go exploring. Combat looked as satisfying as ever, and the new psychic abilities seem very interesting, being able to control projectiles with them seems like a very cool idea. No solid release date was a bit disappointing, but I am still very excited to play this, hopefully not too much later in the year. Elsewhere I enjoyed the reveal of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. I was aware of how popular the first Tomodachi Life was on 3DS, but I never played it. It’s a shame it’s coming in 2026 as I’ve been looking for another relaxing game to play after dropping Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but it at least looks like it’ll be worth the wait.  Playing games together is something special. It has the power to take things to the next level – sometimes literally if you’re particularly bad at platforming, we’re looking at you Rayman Origins – and can be the catalyst for some unforgettable moments. With Split Fiction already earmarked on many people’s Game of the Year lists, it got us thinking about some of our own coop highlights. (Rest assured we’ll have a review of it for you soon.) The joy of coop gaming is being able to play together but not necessarily have the same experience. You work as a team and even if your characters do have the same abilities, you still manage to find your own perspective on the action. Often lamenting the unfairness of your fate compared to others is, oddly, part of the fun of it. So, cast your mind back, what’s the moment coop really peaked for you? Let us know on our Discord. And if it’s more cooperative rambling you’re after, then you can delve back into the archives and see what we thought were our most memorable experiences, way back in 2019.
Gears 5 | Chris Brand  The original Horde mode from Gears 5 was a gruelling test of endurance, with 50 waves of increasingly difficult enemies. It has since been watered down into Horde Frenzy, with the difficulty curve compressed into a meagre 12 waves, and a successful run is nowhere near as satisfying. Of course, stumbling at the last hurdle is not quite as heartbreaking (screw you, wave 49) but no-one sets out to fail. My first few attempts were nary more than a learning experience, as I got to grips with the characters, mechanics, maps and enemy types. Over time, I got further and further and the, once seemingly unreachable, wave 50 was tantalisingly close. Then it happened. A run that was going better than any other, until my entire team shit the bed on the afore-screwed wave 49. Rather than being disheartened, I felt elevated. It wasn't a successful run, but it was close enough that I knew it was possible and I had managed to overcome the biggest obstacle of all: my own restlessness. After sitting in the same place for almost 3 hours (probably for the first time ever), I was energised, focused and determined. The next time I attempted this Herculean feat, I'd be ready for it and get the win. Nope. Shit the bed, wave 49. A pattern forms. At this point, I was starting to doubt if I'd ever beat the coveted wave 50 but I was having enough fun to keep trying. Finally, it did happen, thanks to someone playing as the under-appreciated robot, Jack, and securing scores of revives in the later rounds. Horde Frenzy is still tough, and you shouldn't expect to go all the way without some practice, but that feeling of achievement is significantly lessened. Baldur's Gate 3 | Liam Andrews  I’ve had a lot of great coop moments over the years, but I’d have to give one of my most memorable to a very recent game: Baldur’s Gate 3. The memorable moment in question came in the game’s Adamantine Forge area.
Spoiler alerts for anyone who hasn’t played this part yet! This forge was the location of an epic battle with a giant set of mechanical armour known as Grym, who has a huge amount of health and is invulnerable to pretty much all attack types. Grym will also relentlessly target whichever member of your party offers the most threat. This made it an incredibly one-sided fight and our party of three was sent packing on numerous occasions. The fight became so frustrating that I was resigned to the fate of loading an earlier save and giving up on the area altogether, when we realised we could use Grym’s targeting system to our advantage to lure it under the forge’s giant hammer. I placed myself under the hammer and started dealing out attacks to get Grym’s attention, while another of the party stood ready to activate the hammer’s lever and another kept us alive with healing spells. Grym obediently made its way over to me, and the huge hammer was dropped for an instant KO. It was such a sweet victory that I didn’t even mind that I ended up flattened alongside Grym. After being revived, I left the forge with a lovely new set of adamantine armour and one of my favourite coop memories.  After many years of leaks and the patience of diehard fans growing ever thinner, Nintendo has finally broken the silence (again) on the Switch 2 and given us a quick announcement video. Seemingly forced to act by a 3D printed mock-up at tech industry show CES, Nintendo finally gave us a complete look at how the console will look and feel – though details are pretty sparse. Despite having almost nothing to go on, we all have takes and expectations so we'd thought we'd share them with you, as well as a few ideas of what they could to decide to throw in between now and release. If you have some of your own, fire them over on Discord.
Embrace the power of AI - Chris Brand Though we correctly predicted the name, I'm disappointed that Ninty didn't go with "Switcheroo" as the moniker for their upcoming console. Boring name aside, I'm pretty impressed with the reveal (and the accuracy of the many, many leaks). It ticks all the boxes so far. It's bigger, better, has a smart-looking black finish, backwards compatibility and absolutely none of that matters to me because there's a mystery button. A mystery button! One of the more talked about ideas is that this could be a chat button, which isn't terribly exciting. A far more interesting (and less likely) idea is that this will activate the Switch 2's virtual assistant, Mario AI. Once the button is pressed, your machine will be connected to the Switch Squared network, a hive mind of super-intelligent hybrid consoles designed with the ultimate goal of enslaving humanity. Maybe the mystery button will scan and upload a digital copy of your likeness to use as an avatar in the new Mario Kart, raising the question of whether we are simply computerised clones of our real selves, endlessly driving around the same tracks, with the same faces, performing the same manoeuvres over and over again, totally oblivious to the sprawling world just one level up? It could do anything. A mystery button grabs my attention and holds it firmly until the reveal. It's safe to assume we'll find out exactly what it does during the Nintendo Direct in April, but a part of me hopes they Nintendon't tell us a thing and it turns into one of the greatest ARGs ever conceived. Whatever the case, I'd be willing to pay around £350 to push The Button. Function over form - Liam Andrews Having watched the reveal trailer a couple of times I’m not convinced that Switch 2 is going to solve one of my main issues with the original Switch.
I was hoping for a more ergonomic design and although the new console looks very sleek, the flatness of it, which I understand is necessary to make it more portable, has me concerned that it will dig painfully into my hands like the original Switch did. Hopefully Hori will release an updated Split Pad Pro as these made handheld gaming much more enjoyable on the Switch 1. Other than that complaint, I’m very excited for Switch 2 and like what I’ve seen so far. The magnetic Joy Cons are a plus, as the rail system on the old Joy-Cons could get damaged too easily, so hopefully the new magnet system will keep the updated Cons sitting snugly against the console. I like the size of the console; I don’t think it’ll be too big and I’m all for the larger screen. I’m also excited about the rumoured Joy-Con mouse functionality that could possibly have been hinted at in the trailer. I’m not sure how many developers outside of Nintendo will really make use of it, but it could be a great way to more easily play strategy games on console. Price? I’d be surprised to see it go for more than £399.  After a busy 2024, we're back to bring you our traditional picks for our most anticipated games of the coming year. It might be easy to point to Grand Theft Auto VI and whatever launch software Nintendo decides to bundle up with the successor to the Switch, but there's an awful lot more expected to greet enthusiastic gamers this year as well. What's your pick? Perhaps you haven't made up your mind yet? Shout them out on Discord, and, in the meantime, allow us to get the ball rolling with a few suggestions…
Atomfall and Fable | Chris BranD  It's shaping up to be another stellar year for gaming, as long as the big-hitters don't get pushed back to 2026, as we all know GTA VI surely will. With the inevitability of delays, it's unwise to put all of your eggs in one basket, which is why I'll be dual-basketing this year. That's right, I'll be skipping merrily through 2025 with a basket in each hand, both filled to the brim with giant, golden, eggs. Looking like it sits somewhere between Fallout and S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Atomfall is an RPG set in a fictional version of Great Britain many years ago. The Glorious North has been recreated faithfully, with beautiful rolling hills, picturesque villages and a vague sense of uneasiness. You'll be bartering with creepy locals, fighting off gangs of outlaws, avoiding overzealous security forces and running from hideous mutants, whilst trying to solve the mystery of why you're here and how you can escape this brutal land. For my fellow Northerners, imagine Saturday: The Game. Decidedly unlike Fallout and S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Fable is an RPG set in a fictional version of Great Britain many more years ago and I've had to cut this bit in order to avoid a horrible tangent and actually say something of substance, but you see where I was going. It appears I have a preference for games set in my home country. It just feels more meaningful to rob and kill someone who could be a neighbour and I find myself making excuses as I try to ease my guilty conscience. Maybe he was the aggressor and I was merely defending myself? Maybe setting him on fire was a small mercy as there's a chill in the wind that feels like a million tiny cuts? The choices I make feel a lot more personal when I have a connection to the world and we Brits have a fairly unique sense of humour which manifests in even the darkest of situations. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond | LiaM Andrews I am very much looking forward to the release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond later this year. I remember being very excited when the game was originally announced way back in 2017 with a simple logo teaser, and it’s been a long wait to get to this point.
However, one of the main reasons I’m looking forward to the game is because I think we’ll see Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption re-released for the Switch ahead of Beyond’s release. I never played Echoes and didn’t finish Corruption, and although I still have access to a Wii and could play them that way, I would like to see them get the same remaster treatment the original Metroid Prime game got in 2023, which looked fantastic and played even better with modern control options. It would make sense for Nintendo to give everyone the chance to catch up on the series ahead of the highly anticipated sequel. The Switch release of Pikmin 1 and Pikmin 2 just before Pikmin 4 came out gives me hope, but you just never know with Nintendo. Either way, Beyond looks very promising from the snippets we’ve been shown so far, and even if we don’t get the older games as well, it’ll still be great to see the series back in the spotlight once again.  With the news that the ill-fated Tango Gameworks, creators of the excellent Hi-Fi Rush, have been acquired by Krafton, the publishers of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, we thought it was time some other studios got a second chance. What studio from a bygone area would you happily see resurrected? Let us know in the comments, or hop into the Discord.
Factor 5 | Liam Andrews  I can’t really tell if Factor 5 is currently an active studio or not, but I’m picking them for this week all the same as I really want another Rogue Squadron game to be made and I will take any opportunity to mention it. Factor 5 were responsible for some of the best Star Wars games on N64 and GameCube in the form of the three Rogue Squadron games, and it’s a shame that they never got a chance to replicate this greatness on more modern machines. They were known for producing games that were not only fun to play but looked and sounded great too. Rogue Leader on GameCube was particularly impressive, I remember being amazed that a game could look that good on a home console, and the opening Death Star trench run mission was one of the best opening levels I’ve ever played. EA’s Star Wars Squadrons was a lot of fun to play and the closest thing to a modern-day Rogue Squadron, but I really missed the arcade nature of the latter and would love to see the series make a return, even if it’s just a remaster/remake of the original trilogy of games. Lionhead Studios | Chris Brand  If you were expecting me to use this week's topic as another opportunity to talk about Fable again, then you're only partially right. I'm also going to talk about Black & White and Theme Park. I, too, feel like I'm bending the rules a little bit here, as Theme Park was developed by Lionhead's predecessor, Bullfrog Productions. Although Lionhead Studios itself has ceased to exist, some of those same developers went on to form Two Point Studios, the team behind the spiritual successor to Theme Hospital, further muddying the waters.
Nostalgia has undoubtedly tinted my memories with more rose than is warranted, but Black & White seemed revolutionary at the time and I wasn't aware of many titles quite like it. It was probably some years later when that illusion was shattered, as I discovered Populous, a slightly older series created by the, now defunct, Bullfrog. God games are in short supply these days, Ubisoft's underrated From Dust being the last one I can recall enjoying. Theme Park was another title that stood out as being unique in the simulation genre and the fact that it's still talked about today is a testament to that. Though it was possibly inspired by (and certainly took cues from) other games that had come before, Theme Park still managed to be totally different, the very British humour likely playing a big part in its legacy. Most of the gamers I know, whether hardcore or casual, have memories of Theme Park and its sort-of-sequel, Theme Hospital. Of course, Two Point Hospital has already scratched that particular itch. And then, with a sigh, we come to Fable Legends. It may not have been the Fable game we all wanted yet it had potential. The lush landscapes, the eccentric heroes and the biting sarcasm were all present and the writing felt very on-brand. I'm glad that the series still lives and we're getting a new entry, but I'm unsure if it can live up to the hype you've all created.  With Xbox increasing the price of Game Pass, PlayStation players having to wait until 2025 for a first-party release, and the Switch becoming the most long-in-the-tooth Nintendo console of all time this week, it would be easy to get a bit down about the state of gaming, but we have an idea. Imagine a world where we could have a clean slate, starting from scratch to create the perfect gaming platform. Is it a black box with blinking LEDs? Is it a cloud gaming subscription service? Is it a PC? Only you can decide. In the meantime, we've got some thoughts of our own – a mixture of the best bits of consoles past and a few fresh ideas thrown in for good measure…
Useability and comfort | Chris Brand  For my ideal gaming platform, we have to start with the controller. There have been too many missteps over the years, from the original Xbox's ridiculous six face buttons, the PS3's tiny little controller, to the Nintendo 64's bizarre three-handed monstrosity. We're having none of that. There's no need to break the mould, just something easy to use and functional. The current Xbox/PlayStation devices are a good fit in terms of size and button placement, just too prone to stick drift. Essentially, I want something a lot like what we've got now, but better. Although virtual reality hasn't been the game-changer I thought it would be, a compatible VR headset is a must. I've seen and played some interesting VR titles but this is mainly for Legendary Tales. Such a peripheral would have to be an optional extra, as after around 9pm I don't have the energy to move my fingers and my head at the same time. As I've fully embraced having a digital library of games (something I would've considered heresy a decade or so ago), I see no need for a disc drive. I'm not opposed to the idea, but, like James, I believe we should cram as many terabytes in there as possible, since games are taking up more and more of our limited space and a disc drive is a waste of real estate that could be used to house a bigger, fatter, hard drive. Now that cross-platform play exists, it's become necessary. Everyone has friends scattered across different platforms and it would be difficult to pitch a machine without this feature. Something that can handle performance and frame rate at the same level as high-end PCs would be nice but only if it doesn't take up so much space that I'd need to buy a new piece of furniture to accommodate it. If I wanted to look at a big, ugly, thing in my living room, I'd ask your mother round for dinner. Controller layouts | Liam Andrews  I’m going to agree with Chris and say the controller is one of the most important things to consider when coming up with a new gaming platform, and it’s my main focus here. I agree today’s standard design is very good and I wouldn’t stray too far from it (two grips to hold, a d-pad, two control sticks, four shoulder and face buttons etc.) but I’d definitely like to see the button hierarchy of the GameCube make a comeback.
It makes so much more sense than the diamond ABXY layout seen on modern controllers, as there’s always one button that’s used more than the others and the different shapes also made them easier to tell apart. So my controller would have unique face buttons and shapes and they’ll be smooth and silent to press, none of that overly loud clicky-ness of the Xbox controllers, but I will take the asymmetrical control sticks as they are a lot more comfortable to use. Portability would be nice, but I don’t mean as a hybrid console like the Switch. If I lose control of the big TV, I have to lug a weighty and expensive plastic box upstairs to play on a smaller monitor, so it would be nice if all consoles could be as small and look as sleek as the Series S from now on as this would make moving from room to room so much easier.  We're back with a bang to bring you our thoughts on all the games announcements of the past couple of weeks, from Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Showcase, Nintendo Direct and back again. While we don't have tons of gaming blockbusters hitting consoles in 2024 compared to last year, it's clear there's plenty to look out for in the next couple of years. Side note: Thank you for bearing with us in our absence. Once you've perused our choices, let us know what you're excited for in our Discord, or in the comments.
State of Decay 3 and Fable | Chris Brand  Much like James, most of what caught my eye came from the Xbox Showcase. Possibly because that's the only console I own, possibly because a lot of those titles will be available through Game Pass at no extra cost and I love free stuff. Though I struggle with horror-themed games, I can just about handle State of Decay 2 without succumbing to The Fear. Of course, it is much easier with someone to watch my back and taxi my character to our objective whilst I reluctantly make a coffee at 11:00pm as my eyes keep closing and cocaine is expensive. It's a huge improvement over its predecessor and even though State of Decay 3 probably won't be as big of a leap, it seems reasonable to expect that some new ideas will have made their way into the threequel. There seems to be more of an emphasis on remembering the lost, which is sure to be a big part of my playthrough as all of my favourite characters eventually die. Usually due to me refusing to outfit them with the best gear, in case I lose that too. Good weapons are hard to come by but people are everywhere. If you'd put a bet on me mentioning Fable, then congratulations, you've won fat stacks of cash. And your bookie is weird, who takes bets on stuff like that? Send me his number. The latest trailer follows the series' long-running tradition of not taking itself too seriously but things started to heat up near the end as we were, almost, introduced to this game's big bad. Maybe we'll get to see a good chunk of gameplay in next year's showcase, as the 2025 release window potentially means we've got 18 more months of me banging on about Fable. Gears of War E-Day and Metroid Prime 4 | Liam Andrews  I missed most of the actual events of the past few weeks, but catching up on all the announcements is my preferred way to approach these shows as I can pick and choose which games to focus on.
My highlight of all the events goes to Gears of War E-Day, but it could easily have been Metroid Prime 4, which looked amazing and was something I wasn’t expecting to see released anytime soon. I’m a big fan of the original Metroid Prime (and the remaster) and I’m hoping we’ll get a rerelease of the two sequels at some point before the latest entry comes out as I’d like to get up to speed with any important story events before diving in. I’ve played every Gears of War game, bar Tactics, which I should really get around to at some point, and enjoyed all of them so I’m really looking forward to a new mainline game. I especially like the concept of going back to the start of events, as it’s something that’s only really been explored in spin-off books (which I’ve also read) as far as I can remember. I know it wasn’t gameplay, but the CGI trailer looked very good and did its job of getting me hyped for the game and I can’t wait to see more. |
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