Metaphor: ReFantazio comes to Nintendo Switch 2 on November 12. Some might say “Welp. Here we go again. Here’s another big JRPG coming to a Nintendo handheld.” I think there’s more to scratch at beneath the surface here, though. Metaphor was already one of the most acclaimed RPGs of 2024, winning Best RPG at TheContinue reading “Metaphor: ReFantazio Is the Kind of RPG Switch 2 Was Made For”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
When Momentum Becomes the Mission
For the longest time, open-world games treated the space between missions as a necessary inconvenience. Moving from point A to point B was the tax you paid to get to the actual gameplay. You held down a sprint button, followed a mini-map waypoint, and waited to arrive. Then, in 2018, Insomniac Games demonstrated with Marvel’s Spider-ManContinue reading “When Momentum Becomes the Mission”
2010: The Year Open-World Games Became Blockbusters
Sometimes a shift in gaming history doesn’t arrive with a press conference or a new console. Sometimes it arrives with a pistol bang. In retrospect, I think 2009’s Red Faction: Guerrilla may have been that pistol bang for the open-world revolution that would explode into the mainstream in 2010. I didn’t actually play Guerrilla when it originally released. My experienceContinue reading “2010: The Year Open-World Games Became Blockbusters”
Xbox’s FY27 “Turnaround” Doesn’t Pass the Smell Test
When Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told employees and investors that the gaming division expects to return to growth by the end of fiscal year 2027, the statement was intended to project confidence during an otherwise disappointing earnings report. Predictably, much of the conversation that followed focused on assigning blame; some argued the results still reflectedContinue reading “Xbox’s FY27 “Turnaround” Doesn’t Pass the Smell Test”
The Hard Truth About Microsoft’s Studio Spin-Off Strategy
Double Fine’s decision to lay off 23 employees only weeks after regaining its independence from Xbox should surprise no one who has been paying attention to the state of the games industry. When Microsoft began spinning studios out instead of simply closing them, many observers celebrated the move as a compassionate alternative. I argued atContinue reading “The Hard Truth About Microsoft’s Studio Spin-Off Strategy”
Steam Machine Demand May Be Overstated. And That’s Okay.
Valve’s latest update on the Steam Machine is being framed as good news: the company now expects to fulfill all current reservations by the end of 2026 while continuing to ramp production. On its face, that sounds like evidence of overwhelming demand, but I’m not convinced the reservation queue tells the whole story. A reservationContinue reading “Steam Machine Demand May Be Overstated. And That’s Okay.”
The Xbox & PlayStation Outage Didn’t Prove Physical Media Is Better – Your Digital Identity and Entitlements Follow You Regardless
Microsoft has responded to reports that some Xbox players were unable to launch even physical disc-based games during a recent Xbox Live outage, acknowledging that this behavior was unintended. According to the company, consoles should have relied on locally cached licensing entitlements instead of requiring an online validation check, and Xbox says it is investigatingContinue reading “The Xbox & PlayStation Outage Didn’t Prove Physical Media Is Better – Your Digital Identity and Entitlements Follow You Regardless”
Xbox Is Responsible for Xbox
I bought the first Xbox on Day 1. My first run of the Halo campaign was in co-op with a buddy of mine who was out on the West Coast over Thanksgiving. Bought the 360 right before moving and took it on the road with me. Bought a little 20″ Polaroid 1080i TV so IContinue reading “Xbox Is Responsible for Xbox”
You’re Not the Authority on Fun
If there is one thing that is true about internet gamers, it’s that they have a hard time minding their own business. There is way too much commentary on not understanding how or why other gamers game the way that they do. It doesn’t matter if someone likes revisiting the same 5 games that areContinue reading “You’re Not the Authority on Fun”
This Isn’t a Game Pass Discount—It’s a Pricing Experiment
Xbox lowered the price of Game Pass today. But the truth behind the facade is different than some will be lead to believe. While Call of Duty comes out of the service for the first year of any new version (by which time it will be value-less as the multiplayer community will have moved onContinue reading “This Isn’t a Game Pass Discount—It’s a Pricing Experiment”
