There are a number of big reasons why Microsoft’s purchase of Activision made sense. But the eSports angle rarely got explored. For the vast majority, the Call of Duty of it all was just more important. And that’s without mentioning the huge boon the purchase gave Xbox in the mobile space. In fact, there’s a lot of reasons this deal was made, and eSports is probably the least of it. At least, it might seem that way on the surface.…
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Can We Stop With the Live Service Trend?
I can’t be the only person getting tired of hearing about all these live service games. Call me selfish, but I really wish it’d just stop. Trends come and go. In the past every game seemed to have a stealth section. Or a tower defence mini-game. These were annoying, but had very little impact on the industry itself. Nobody was imploding because their content pipeline wasn’t filled to the rafters. And yet live service has fundamentally changed the way many…
Read MoreMicrosoft Rewards are Being Nerfed
Over the last couple of weeks, Microsoft Rewards have been slowly being nerfed. Users are getting less points, which is making it harder to maintain the level of bonuses they were used to. The scheme, which allowed those interested to utilise Bing and Game Pass to earn Xbox money or subscription time, as well as other rewards, has been made harder to use. That has included reducing points for things like earning a daily achievement and the removal of bonuses.…
Read MoreCapcom: Now Mods are Cheating
There are few things in gaming that are absolutely sacred, but one of those things is modding. It is an inalienable right, as Bethesda found when they started considering paid modding. Capcom, apparently, didn’t hear this message. Taro Yahagi, a programmer for Capcom, said mods “aren’t that different from cheating” in terms of what they do to the game internally. Which shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but of course cheats are something Capcom sell now. Long gone…
Read MoreWhatever Happened to Crypto in Video Games?
There was a lot of talk, not that long ago, about the potential of cryptocurrencies and NFTs in video games. Now that discussion has died a death. There’s a couple of obvious reasons for that – all of the mainstream news about these things has been negative lately. I barely go a day without reading something about how someone lost a fortune on an easily stealable picture of a cartoon ape. But then again, you know what they say about…
Read MoreMetal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 Launch Trailer
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is out today! Check out the game’s launch trailer below. Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is out today for the Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series, and PC. As a fan of Metal Gear Solid, all I have to say to you is…SNAAAAAAKE! Okay, maybe a little bit more. I’m pretty excited about this Master Collection. I love these games. Yes, I plan to get the Nintendo Switch version, which some people…
Read MoreGrin and Bear the MGS Master Collection
I haven’t spoken much about the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, despite the fact that it’s MGS and I’m a huge fan. I’ve been cautiously awaiting impressions to know what to make of it. I don’t want another GTA set. On the face of it, it’s an amazing set. MGS is available on Xbox for the first time, and with trophies and achievements. It includes Integral, VR Missions and multiple languages to choose from. For the first time, western fans…
Read MoreActivision: The Deal is Done – Now What?
Since the Activision merger was announced in January last year, it’s been all we’ve talked about. No gaming news has quite lived up to this giant behemoth, edging ever more closely to the finish line. And it probably never will again. But it is indeed now done. What impact is it going to have on the industry? Will Microsoft keep buying? And where does this leave PlayStation? Suffice it to say this deal is going to feel like a lot…
Read MoreMicrosoft Activision Merger Closes This Week
It’s a headline that I didn’t think would take me the best part of two years to write… but the Microsoft Activision merger looks likely to close this week. Honestly, I’ve spent so long writing about this thing. It’s almost like the actual impact of it no longer clicks. It’s all been about the detail and the largeness, but not the actual long-term impact. So, for instance, within the week Crash and Spyro will be Xbox mascots along with Banjo…
Read MoreCapcom: Are Games Really Too Cheap?
You hear that, gamers? Capcom boss Haruhiro Tsujimoto reckons you’re paying too little for your video games – and maybe he’s kind of right. It’s hard to argue his point too much. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis we’ve seen increasing prices, increasingly aggressive monetisation, experimentation with AI and NFTs and a whole host of other ways to nickel and dime people who, by and large, just want to play a cool game. But we have to admit that…
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