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
The latest game by FromSoftware is out, and it’s as difficult as you’d expect. Is the juice worth the squeeze? Way back 30 years ago in 2015 I wrote a piece on The Spinoff about Bloodborne, a Lovecraftian horror game created by Japanese developers FromSoftware. Bloodborne, modelled after FromSoftware’s award-winning Dark Souls trilogy, is fiendishly … Read more
Sometimes it pays to focus on the dark side of gaming. Hayden Donnell shares the harrowing story of his own crippling addiction to Dark Souls. This post was first published August 8, 2018. I’ve been going to therapy lately. A therapist will tell you many of your self-destructive behaviours can be traced back to seemingly … Read more
It’s no secret that horror writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft had bigoted attitudes to race and class. Duy Le examines how these aspects of Lovecraft’s writing are critiqued in FromSoftware’s Bloodborne. This post was first published May 23, 2018. It’s not an exaggeration to say that many of HP Lovecraft’s works are subtly underpinned by his bigotry; … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: ‘KFC test’ for tenants slammed, another census debacle reported, and divisions in the nurses union despite pay agreement. The issue of what information landlords can demand from tenants has erupted, after a property manager revealed some landlords are asking tenants for bank statements to see what … Read more
Sometimes it pays to focus on the dark side of gaming. Hayden Donnell shares the harrowing story of his own crippling addiction to Dark Souls. I’ve been going to therapy lately. A therapist will tell you many of your self-destructive behaviours can be traced back to seemingly small past traumas. Schoolyard bullying. Smacking. That scene … Read more
The first of three planned DLC expansions for the critically-acclaimed Nioh has been released, but does it address the game’s noticeable faults? Don Rowe reviews Dragon of the North. In the immediate aftermath of the Nioh – aka Japanese Dark Souls – release in February, it was already being acclaimed as the game of the … Read more