2025
‘I sometimes lie in bed thinking about it’: Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser explains why open world spy game Agent never worked out
Remember Agent? After first mentioning it in 2007, Rockstar formally announced it in 2009—an espionage game in an open world, GTA meets James Bond, with all the cars-turning-into-submarines gadgetry that implies. After bouncing between different Rockstar studios for a while, Agent vanished off the radar, with its death finally being confirmed in 2021. In a…
Doom designer Sandy Petersen alleges former Xbox boss Don Mattrick killed Ensemble Studios and its Halo MMO to protect his personal stock bonus: ‘Don started as an EA hatchet man so what would you expect?’
Doom level designer Sandy Petersen has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to explain the closure of Ensemble Studios, where he worked in the 2000s. According to Petersen, Ensemble and its in-development Halo MMO were scuttled by Xbox boss Don Mattrick to protect a short-term, profit-based bonus he was elligible to receive. “In 2008, Ensemble Studios…
Reliably good puzzle game-maker Draknek and Friends just released a spooky new game
Draknek and Friends is a pretty reliable puzzle-maker, dropping a new worth-playing gem every few years. Now they’ve released Spooky Express, an update of their delightful 2017 Cosmic Express, just in time for a little spooky-themed fall puzzling. In a round of Spooky Express, your job is to lay out train tracks so that you…
Andrzej Sapkowski say these days ‘it’s so rare’ for CD Projekt Red to ask him about Witcher lore
Andrzej Sapkowski recently wrote a prequel to his Witcher novels, Crossroads of Ravens. At an event to publicize that novel, our colleagues at GamesRadar asked the author if he’d been involved in any part of the development of The Witcher 4. And he said, basically: nope. While explaining that the developers at CD Projekt Red…
‘Skinballs,’ a Saints Row test NPC that looks like four floating scoops of ice cream, has been preserved as part of a museum collection
In a public conversation on Bluesky, former Volition developer Elizabeth Zelle, alongside videogame preservationists Andrew Borman and Phil Salvadore, highlighted the existence of Skinballs, a surreal Saints Row test NPC who, through an accident of history, will be forever preserved for future generations in the Strong Museum of Play. Responding to an article by IGN…
Build and defend your little time-looping castle town in Super Fantasy Kingdom
Slick little roguelike city-build-and-defend game Super Fantasy Kingdom hit early access this week, asking you to time loop your ever-growing kingdom to victory against a mysterious foe that sends waves of enemies against you each night. To win you’ll have to build up a base of resources to keep a collection of valiant heroes fed…
Beloved boomer shooter Dusk celebrates coming to Xbox with new ‘Dusk Gulch’ level riffing on Halo’s best multiplayer map
New Blood’s Dusk is finally on Xbox consoles after seven years, and to celebrate, the studio has added a popular mapmaker’s Halo homage to the game. Dusk Gulch is a riff on Halo’s classic, 2fort-y capture the flag arena, Blood Gulch. You can load up modder Vriska’s latest work in the Duskworld multiplayer mode if…
Why It’s Time to Consider Print Invitations
In our quicker and quicker web age, where an invitation to a party can be dispatched to hundreds at the stroke of a mouse, something very extraordinary is involved in opening a lovingly decorated printed invitation. The feel of paper, the thought that has gone into making it, and the human hand touch all convey…
Retro Review: ‘5 Star Wrestling’ (PS3)
On the surface, Serious Parody’s “5 Star Wrestling” isn’t even a B+ player. It’s uglier than Bastion Booger and its load times sometimes make Haystacks Calhoun look like Juventud Guerrera. But just like former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, it’s got something special. It’s got heart- and Greg Hearty. The more you play this game, the…