Posts By Mat Growcott

It’s been a common comment over the last couple of months. “Those Expedition 33 guys, they’ve done good. They should work on the next Final Fantasy. It’s better than Final Fantasy.” I’m here to say that’s madness. Final Fantasy is one of my favourite franchises. I spoke last year about how it had finally rediscovered its identity in Final Fantasy XVI and more so in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. It took a long, long time ...

It’s rare a game comes along that feels exciting and original, building on other achievements in its genre but also managing to be something new. Rematch is one of those games. The controls are simple, the physics are deadly but rewarding and the team game – when it’s played right – is some of the best I’ve seen. Some people are calling Rematch a mix of Rocket League and EA FC, and they’re right. Tactical, arcadey and hard, ...

It’s Steam’s summer sale again, and as always it crashed under the weight of bargain hunters checking their wish lists. If they were anything like me, they came away disappointed. It’s a well-chewed truism now taht Steam sales aren’t what they used to be. The removal of flash sales and other bonuses that made Steam’s offering standout had turned it into just another set of discounts. Usually the biggest benefit is that other ...

Rematch is a fresh take on the Football genre and, like many people, I spent my Friday night checking it out. I was awful. Luckily the game itself was great. But as much fun as I’m having, it hammered home a problem I have with a lot of online games: the players. No, I don’t mean when they’re obnoxious or annoying. I am old enough to have lived through the 360 generation. I played League of Legends for a bit.…

The Switch 2 has been extremely successful in its first week, just like everybody who was paying attention knew it would. I have questions about its long-term prospects but, believe me, it’s never going to be a dud. It’s never enough to have your company do well. You have to compare it to other, less hugely successful devices. I’ve seen a lot of conversation around the Steam Deck in the last seven days. And people have used the Stam Deck…

The Summer Games events have come and gone and barely a moment went by without something new and exciting to check out on consoles. There’s no doubt about it: the next year is going to be pretty fantastic. No matter what kind of game you love, there was something for you. If you’re really into moody Soulslike games, then you’re eating really well. But it doesn’t end there. 2026 is going to be huge, and that’s without taking Grand ...

It’s a big week for gaming. The Switch 2 is out in just a couple of days, and then we have the Summer Games Fest and the Xbox conference at the weekend. And a Sony show is probably quite close behind. It’s going to be a month of announcements and reviews. As always, the rumour mill has been working overtime and we have a good idea of some of what we might see over the coming seven days. Naturally, take…

of FinaOne of the last major titles unveiled in the great Nvidia leak of 2021 is a remake of Final Fantasy IX and all signs are pointing to an imminent announcement. It’s the 25th anniversary and the dedicated website is loaded with new information and art. Almost like there are some major game events in the next week or so. I for one am excited. Although its my least favourite of the VII-X run, it’s such a strong run of…

It was almost sound logic on Sony’s part. If you can make a single Fortnite, it doesn’t matter if there are a dozen failures. Fortnite is that big. So big in fact, that it takes more than a dozen failures to dethrone it. Why don’t people want to play games that are trying to steal oxygen from Fortnite and Call of Duty? Because they’re playing Fortnite and Call of Duty. They’re already in those ecosystems, they’ve already put ...

There’s a new pope kicking around, and while I’m sure his schedule is fairly busy I have a request: please bless the skippable cutscene. During his next visit to GamesReviews.com, I’m hoping he sees this and fully understands the absolute sincerity in which I ask this. The skippable cutscene is potentially one of the most beautiful inventions in the modern world. Firstly because it doesn’t require a subscription, but mostly just because ...