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Destiny 2: On the Edge
As far back as I can remember Bungie reveals have got my blood pumping. With Destiny 2 and Halo being the absolute peaks of what they have to showcase. I am a Destiny addict. And discussing that with people almost makes it feel like I’m sitting in an AA meeting admitting my deepest shames from…
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Why Climbing in Video Games Feels So Shallow
Climbing is a feature in many modern video games. Even when it’s not central to the gameplay, it can have a big impact on how much I enjoy a game. Sometimes, it drags down an otherwise great experience with slow or clunky mechanics. Other times, it becomes a compelling core mechanic — something indie developers…
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Blue Prince: Imperfectly Perfect
What was the last video game that frustrated you? From Soft games tend to frustrate me, although this is by design and likely the reason why I love them so much. The difficulty feels tuned just enough that its frustrating to perish in combat, but victory is always just within grasp. It creates a powerful…
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Marathon’s Big Reveal
Bungie’s upcoming game ‘Marathon’ looks incredible. But as excited as I am, I also have several concerns. It feels like we are seeing a repeat of some of Bungie’s earlier, unsavoury, mistakes. There are rumors that the story has not yet been written. With the game being only six months from its launch this is…
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Expelled!
Time loops lend themselves perfectly to video games, but that does not mean that all time loop games are created equal. Outer Wilds, uses its time loop to encourage player exploration, discovery and learning. Solving its central mystery feels immensely satisfying. Without expert craftsmanship or a deft touch, loops run the risk of becoming repetitive…
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The Split Fiction Experience
What Hazelight Studios set out to achieve with the 2021 game of the year It Takes Two was beyond ambitious. It effortlessly jumped between innovative puzzle designs and game mechanics without missing a beat. The only fault being the games awkward narrative. This was a forgivable flaw given the otherwise delightful package. Having rolled credits…
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Nintendo Did it Again, Literally
I remember first booting up my Nintendo Switch. It was shortly into my first term at university. It was the perfect companion for my sorry excuse for a dorm room. A long, flimsy desk, rock solid bed, and a single solitary shelf. Hardly the environment to erect a top-of-the-line PC build or 4k console rig.…
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A Genuinely Humorous Game
What makes jokes funny? For me, it’s a combination of different criteria: the absurdity of a situation, the subversion of expectations, and expert delivery- both verbally and through body language. With most psychologists believing that body language makes up 70-80% of human communication, this becomes an essential part of the package. Video games often struggle…
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Games That Warp Chess
Many game developers find success by riffing on or twisting the mechanics of existing games. Chess is one of the most influential and established games of all time, with a low barrier to entry and a high skill ceiling that keeps players coming back over and over again. It’s no wonder that so many games…
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Gaming Puzzle Boxes
Introduction: There are a couple of things that I always have sitting on my desk: a notebook, a photo of my wife, and a puzzle. The puzzle is Titan, made by Felix Ure here in the UK. It is a 50mm solid brass sphere with one visible join across its circumference. It is a beautifully…
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Gaming Acuity 