Skyrim was getting ready to launch—it was mere weeks away—but former Bethesda producer Jeff Gardiner and the designers were in the midst of a disagreement over balance. This led Gardiner, who also had years of creative and design experience, to take matters into his own hands. “I had this fight with the designers at the…
You’re the creative director for the next up-and-coming RPG. You step on stage in front of an audience of eager fans (pretend we still do these things live), and after the reveal trailer rolls you steeple your fingers and the grand promise you make to players is: “That mountain? You can go there!” “A living,…
Kanto blight. With a Pokémon Presents on the way soon, our foolish hearts have begun hoping for something a bit special. While Nintendo fans twiddle their thumbs awaiting the full reveal of Switch 2, an entire year without a Pokémon game releasing on Switch has helped us regain our appetite for console-based catchin’. It was…
Rebellion’s upcoming Atomfall already draws strong comparisons with Stalker, what with it being an open-world shooter set in a cordoned off zone in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster. But it seems the latest game from the Sniper Elite devs may also be taking a leaf out of Dying Light 2’s book, if the words…
In this bio of interest to any retro gaming fan, Walter Day shares his personal history — and in the process, sheds light on the development of arcade culture. Starting with his life before video games, he reminisces about his family and upbringing, as well as his hippie days and involvement in Transcendental Meditation. He…
While I need little extra motivation to read patch notes, bugfix sicko that I am, I admire the additional effort Supergiant has gone to in guiding players through Hades 2’s second major update. Not content with throwing the update’s voluminous changelog on Steam (though it’s done that too), Supergiant enlisted Hades 2’s narrator Logan Cunningham…
Zombie survival shooter No More Room in Hell 2 shambled onto Steam early access late last year, and proved to have a few more bits missing than its audience could reasonably cope with. Debuting to a ‘Mostly Negative’ rating on Steam as players cited a litany of flaws, from bugs to performance issues to the…
Bethesda RPGs are typically jam-packed with tiny details that most players will never notice, but which all contribute to the sense that you’re existing in this reactive, believable world. “It’s not just that I kill someone with a sword and there’s a reaction to the crime,” says former Bethesda producer Jeff Gardiner. “It’s the sense…
Catching them ALL?? In this economy?? Howdy partners! Welcome back to another edition of What Are You Playing. Switch 2 may still feel like a long way away, but there have been some Nintendo rumblings this week to keep us busy, all the same. The annual Pokémon Presents showcase was announced for next week (surprising…
Turn your yellow letters into a winning line of greens with our clue for the February 22 (1344) Wordle—it’s ready to help whenever you need it, whether that’s on line one or right at the bottom of a tricky board. You should take a quick look at our tips too while you’re here, they’ll definitely…