Author: Zach Barbieri

Overwatch 2 was initially billed as a refresh on the series, promising to focus on the one thing the game had going for it in a growing sea of live service games, the characters. Part of this was a PvE mode that would focus on some of the lore, diving deeper into character-specific narratives. This was to be titled Hero Mode and it was scrapped last year after the game had already gone through extensive struggles since the launch of Overwatch 2 acted as a bigger update that completely erased the game the first game. There were still PvE modes…

Sony officially announced Stellar Blade, their upcoming hack-and-slash action game, will receive a demo on Friday, March 29th at 7 am PDT / 2 pm GMT. This follows speculation that a demo was coming, partially fueled by ShiftUp, the developer behind the game, accidentally revealing it through the PlayStation store before quickly removing it. This demo will take place at the beginning of the game, running up to the first boss fight. For placers concerned that they will need to replay this narrative, or a potentially challenging boss fight over again at launch, the save carry will carry over to…

According to a Bio for developer Shinji Mikami listed on the website for the upcoming Shadow of Damned Hella Remastered, it appears the developer has founded a company named Kamuy Inc. Beyond simply naming the studio, there is no other information given about what this company does, or even if he will remain in the video game industry. Mikami left Tango Gameworks in 2023, the studio best known for developing The Evil Within, though is also known for titles Ghostwire: Tokyo and Hi-Fi Rush, the later releasing shortly before his departure. He founded the studio in 2010 before ultimately selling…

I’ll start this review of Rise of The Ronin by being honest, I have always had and always will have a bias for Team Ninja. This goes back to Ryu Hayabusa as he hacked and slashed his way through enemies through two Ninja Gaiden titles, some of the best action games ever made. Then Ninja Gaiden 3 was released, following their former leader’s departure and everything changed. I was worried there was no path forward for the studio. That was when Nioh was released. Now, Nioh wasn’t the perfect vessel, and as some would point out it was built on…

Remedy has published its financial report for 2023. In it, the company made €33.9 million which is ultimately a decrease of 22.2%, down from €43.6 million during the same period in the previous year. Additionally, the developer reported an operating loss of €28.6 million for its full-year results but noted they received €5.2 million in royalties from Alan Wake Remastered. Remedy has attributed this loss to “increased investments” in several upcoming projects. One of the projects named Kestral (formerly known as Vanguard) received a €7.2 million impairment charge after the game was changed from its planned free-to-play model to a…

The upcoming Bungie revival of their classic series Marathon is receiving a new director. This is amid reports that additional changes are happening at the studio. While the studio still has the most successful Destiny 2, their acquisition at the hands of Sony years ago has failed to lead to the profit lines that the company had hoped for. This news also follows an extremely turbulent year for the studio, having been hit with large-scale lay-offs in 2023. Around this time it also came out that Sony had the option to dissolve Bungies’ current board and replace it with one…

Anybody who knows me, or has followed my writing, knows I love a good drive. Now, a drive around your town is fine, but there is something liberating about a trip along the highways and byways, your past slowly fading in the rearview mirror and your future stretching out in front of you. And somewhere in between those two is you, changing in real time. This might be why the new game Open Roads, being developed by the Open Roads Team and published by Annapurna Interactive, has me so enticed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQA1O4QM914 The story follows the road trip of Mother Opal,…

I can always appreciate a sim game that offers a zen-like form of escapism that lets me exit the hustle and bustle of conventional games. I have played so many high-octane action games, grindy RPGs, and mini-game heavily challenge fest that all I wanted to do was unwind. Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator, which came out on PlayStation 5 at the perfect time to scratch that itch,and offers all the things I was looking for at its core. A game where you place a Taxi driver, drive around the city, have a pleasant chat with the locals, taking a…

Final Fantasy VII has had an impact on this industry for 27 years. It is home to some of the most memorable moments in gaming and remains one of the most nostalgia-inducing games to be released on the original PlayStation in 97, an indicator of what was to come of an industry coming into its own. So how do you adapt such a powerful experience, better yet, how do you adapt a game like that across multiple entries? How do you take that experience further, and tell that story meaningfully, or speak to a new audience that doesn’t have those…

Night Dive Studios’ reboot of the classic Sci-Fi game System Shock, a title that served as a spiritual successor to the still popular Bioshock franchise, finally has a date for its console Release. The game was already released on PC last year and even though it was largely found to be a solid remake, there were polish issues with the title, many of which have been addressed since then. This announcement was made via a trailer exclusively released through IGN, giving us a look at the game on console, as well as its May 2lst release date: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zct6_8yhQG0 To those…