Apple Arcade looks great on the surface, but what does it mean for the kinds of developers who don’t make games based on playtime? When Apple announced Apple Arcade last month, it was met mostly with praise. For a relatively low monthly fee, you’ll get access to a rotating selection of over 100 games, all … Read more
With every new FromSoftware game comes the same debate – how hard is too hard, and why does it matter? Matthew Codd examines this age-old argument and its bogus foundations. Any new release by FromSoftware – famed creators of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and now Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – is inevitably followed with a refreshed … Read more
With the announcement that The Walking Dead‘s Negan is joining Tekken 7, it’s clear that absolutely anybody can be a Tekken character. Matthew Codd has a few more suggestions. Last week, Tekken creator Katsuhiro Harada surprised everyone with the announcement that Negan (who?) from The Walking Dead would be coming to Tekken 7. The game already … Read more
Is the much maligned Final Fantasy VII sequel/spinoff Dirge of Cerberus really as bad as everyone says? I was 17 when Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII came out. As a longtime Final Fantasy nerd at the height of my obligatory emo phase, the idea of a new game focused on Vincent Valentine, everyone’s favourite … Read more
Those visual novel games can be extremely hit or miss, but Matthew Codd reckons locally made Inverness Nights is a high water mark for the genre. A few months ago, Kiwi developer Maddi Mackenzie released Inverness Nights. “Break up with your boyfriend in Inverness Nights, a queer historical fantasy visual novel,” the media release said, calling … Read more
Superhot, an innovative critique on the dangers of hype culture and gamer identity, has been ported to virtual reality. But something critical is lost in translation, writes Matthew Codd. Superhot was one of the most inventive games of 2016. I don’t just mean in terms of its clever twist on first-person shooter mechanics – time … Read more
Though the virtual mini-golf market is crowded, there’s at least one game coming in well under-par. Matt Codd reviews Infinite Minigolf, the putt-simulator for the discerning golfer. When I was 10 or 11 years old, my family went on a trip around New Zealand. Though most details of that holiday are hazy (it was a … Read more
Think you can drive the very building blocks of life? Matthew Codd gives the evolution simulator Birthdays: The Beginning a hoon and he bloody learns stuff! Creationists need not apply. Games make fascinating learning tools. I’m not talking about the “edutainment” that many of us remember, with fondness, disdain, or some strange mixture of both, from our primary … Read more
The California based devs Giant Sparrow have another hit on their hands. Their new narrative adventure game explores all the great themes, life, death and beauty. Matthew Codd reckons it’s a must play. What Remains of Edith Finch is a game about life, death, and storytelling. What may at first feel like a run-of-the-mill “walking … Read more
In the two weeks since its release, the latest open world tactical shooter from Ubisoft has won reasonably positive reviews. This won’t be one. Matthew Codd explains why Ghost Recon Wildlands is culturally insensitive, socially irresponsible and a chilling celebration of violent American imperialism. And the gameplay sucks too. This is Bolivia Like most of South … Read more
For only the 7th time in NZ’s history, the Office of Film & Literature classification has banned a video game: the highly sexualised Japanese game Gal*Gun. This week two of our writers examine and respond to the decision to ban the game in question and we ask the Chief Censor to expand and explain his office’s … Read more
Diehard fanboy Matthew Codd has his jaded eyes scrubbed clean by the latest in an infinite number of Final Fantasy titles. I had a lot of skepticism going into Final Fantasy XV. Like many other lifelong Final Fantasy junkies, I was disappointed with the direction that Final Fantasy XIII took the series; prior to release, … Read more
Matthew Codd slinks his way through steampunk assassination simulator Dishonored 2 and becomes almost constantly overwhelmed by a grueling style of intricate level design. Dishonored 2 has some of the most fascinating level design I’ve seen in a game. Each area is made up of a complicated network of streets, buildings, and passageways, giving you … Read more
Mathew Codd interviews the art director at Arkane Studios, Sebastien Mitton, about the intensive four year process that went into creating Dishonoured 2 and it’s funky fantasy setting. One of the most memorable things about Dishonored is Dunwall, the city in which it took place. Though heavily inspired by Victorian-era London and Edinburgh, it worked … Read more
According to Matthew Codd the creative enterprise that best captures the pain of schoolyard love is a free phone game from the Philippines. Matthew explores the angst and talks to the game’s teenage developer. A few weeks ago, while falling down a rabbit hole of “similar apps” links on Google Play, I stumbled upon a game … Read more
Microsoft first announced their move into the action-adventure genre when they scored temporary rights to Rise of the Tomb Raider. Now with ReCore they have their own title – but is it any good? A couple of years ago, Microsoft announced they had obtained exclusive rights to Rise of the Tomb Raider, at least for … Read more
We take a bizarre stroll around the early access survival/action/adventure We Happy Few. It’s a suitably original game, but Matthew Codd finds a glaring contradiction at its beating heat. The Compulsion Games team made their mark a few years ago with the beautiful Contrast, so it makes sense that their latest adventure, We Happy Few, should too … Read more