Author: Jay Allsopp

If there’s one gaming genre that can convince non-converts that the genre isn’t just for kids, it’s probably the erotic adventure genre. With beginnings all the way back in the early days of gaming, erotic video games have established a niche for themselves, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Perhaps one of the most popular and well-known games in this niche is Degrees of Lewdity, a text-based erotic RPG that allows you to engage with its seedy world in whatever way you see fit. There are, of course, plenty of games out there that are doing similar things to…

When Untitled Goose Game was released in 2019, it became an instant hit, largely thanks to the meme potential of its main character. The adorable little goose that runs around causing mischief and mayhem quickly found itself being incorporated into memes of all stripes, from nihilistic comedy to political satire. All of this exposure overshadowed the fact that Untitled Goose Game is great fun in its own right, but if you’ve played it, you’ll probably already be aware of that. Untitled Goose Game is a pretty unique proposition, but if you’re willing to branch out a little, you’ll find games…

If you’ve ever had a party where the guests are primarily millennials, then you’ve almost certainly played Cards Against Humanity before. This card game is hugely popular among younger folks, and for good reason. The basic premise of Cards Against Humanity is pretty simple: players must match up a statement on their card to a prompt, and the funnier the result, the better. Naturally, Cards Against Humanity can be extremely subjective; if you’re playing with the right people, it can be an absolute riot, but play with the wrong crowd and it can be excruciating. If you’re looking to branch…

Castle Crashers is arguably one of the best games of its genre. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a side-scrolling beat-’em-up with a distinctly cartoonish art style and a sense of humour, and what’s more, it’s built around multiplayer, so you can enjoy it alongside friends. Of course, if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ve probably already made your way through all of the content Castle Crashers has to offer, and you’re hungry for more of the same. If that’s the case, you’ll be pleased to know there are tons of great beat-’em-ups out there, and you won’t have to look…

On October 13th, Microsoft finally completed the Activision Blizzard acquisition that it initiated all the way back in early 2022. Announcing the news on its blog, Xbox promised to keep gamers first and foremost in its mind going forward, and it also pledged to implement Activision Blizzard games into the Game Pass lineup, although it may be a little while until we see the fruits of that particular labour. This is officially the largest gaming acquisition ever completed, and as such, it’s difficult to know what kind of impact the deal is going to have on the industry at large.…

VR has many potential applications, but perhaps one of the most exciting is its ability to immerse us in massive virtual worlds. The potential of VR when it comes to MMORPGs has arguably not been fully realised yet, but developers are already starting to take advantage of the capabilities of VR to create massively multiplayer games with the tech in mind. Many of these games are still on the horizon, but some are available right now. There aren’t a huge amount of VR MMORPG experiences to play at the moment, but we’d like to take some time to look at…

Rockstar is officially working on Grand Theft Auto 6. It will arrive in 2025, and we couldn’t be more excited. We still don’t know what to expect fully yet, but Vice City is returning! At time of writing, it’s been ten years since the release of the last tentpole Grand Theft Auto release (not counting various GTA Online updates and content drops, of course), and that’s far too long as far as we’re concerned. 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2 gave us the traditional Rockstar-style sandbox we’d been hoping for, but any GTA fan will tell you that Red Dead simply…

If you’ve tried VR and found that it gave you motion sickness, even if you didn’t spend too long in the headset, you’re not alone. Motion sickness is a problem that afflicts upwards of 70% of VR users, and what’s more, it only takes around 15 minutes before the symptoms start setting in. The problem happens because your brain can’t square the difference between what your body is doing in real life and what your character is doing in VR. You’re essentially sending two conflicting signals to your brain, and it’s struggling to deal with them, resulting in motion sickness.…

The thrill of playing a great tycoon game is unmatched by any other genre, as fans will attest. There’s just something inescapably compelling about building your very own empire from scratch, overseeing everything from construction to political policies and watching your carefully-laid plans come to fruition. Equally, though, it’s just as fun when tycoon games go wrong, and everything you’ve built comes crashing down in a single instant thanks to some errant natural disaster or revolutionary uprising. The Mac might not be the best platform in the world for gaming, but tycoon games for Mac do exist, so without further…

As the spooky season drifts away and the holiday season rolls into view, Xbox gamers will probably be looking for something else to play that isn’t Starfield. Bethesda’s RPG may be a mammoth prospect, but those who love Starfield have probably seen much of the content it has to offer already, while those who were disappointed are likely seeking fresh entertainment. Luckily, the holiday season is usually a pretty rich time for new releases, and such is the case for November 2023, where you’ll find major franchise instalments and indie curios alike. Let’s take a look at the best Xbox…

In 2013, EA released SimCity, the latest in the long-running series of the same name. Immediately, fans expressed disappointment and anger with the game for its always-online requirement and server problems, as well as its mechanics’ perceived shallowness. City-builder fans were crying out for something new to pick up the slack left by SimCity, and in 2015, Paradox Interactive answered that call with Cities: Skylines, which essentially played like an enhanced version of SimCity’s glory days. If you’ve played Cities: Skylines, you’ll know just how absorbing it can be, but it’s far from the only city-builder out there. Here are…

It’s time to take another look at the upcoming slate of PC games, and this time around, we’re focusing on the holiday season and all the joy it brings. Whether you’ll be picking up a brand new graphics card to soup up your rig this Christmas or you’re just looking for some great games to put your existing machine through its paces, you’ve got tons of options. Huge mainstream releases, indie curiosities, and PC-specific launches are all scheduled for this month, so without further ado, let’s take a look at the best PC games making their way to the market…

Another year has almost gone by, and at time of writing, there’s still no sign of a potential Nintendo Switch successor. The console is still going strong, and Nintendo probably doesn’t want to rock the boat; the sales figures for the Switch are phenomenal, and a successor could detract from that. Still, it is fair to say that when the Switch becomes the topic of conversation now, many people want to know when a new machine might be on the way, so hopefully, Nintendo announces something soon. In the meantime, though, the Switch is still riding high, and there are…

The ninth console generation is well underway, and although there are likely to be a few more years left before Sony starts thinking about where it’s going next, we’re betting that a next-gen machine is already in the planning stages. Don’t get us wrong; the PS5 still has plenty of life left in it, of course, and the latest mid-generation refresh sees Sony’s current-gen console freshen up before the PS6 starts setting the rumour mill spinning. However, the PS6 is almost certainly at least a glint in Sony’s eye, if not an already-existent prototype in the PlayStation offices, so we…

If there’s one thing that’s setting the rumour mill aflame in the gaming world right now (not to mix metaphors), it’s the Nintendo Switch 2. Whatever Nintendo ends up calling the successor to the Nintendo Switch, it’s got some huge shoes to fill; the Switch is sitting at almost 130 million consoles sold worldwide at time of writing, and that number is only going to increase with time. Of course, that hasn’t stopped gamers and pundits alike looking ahead to what the Switch 2 might look like. After all, the Switch is a wonderful machine, but it’s also somewhat underpowered,…

October 2023 is shaping up to be an excellent month for the Nintendo Switch, not least because we’re finally getting a new game from one of Nintendo’s longest-standing mascots. The arrival of side-scrolling platformer Super Mario Bros. Wonder in October is just one of the many highlights Switch owners have to look forward to in what is turning out to be a jam-packed month for the little console that could. Here are the best Nintendo Switch games coming to the console in October 2023. If you’re not a Mario fan, don’t worry; there’s plenty more to check out besides! …

The launch of Starfield on Xbox in September represents something of a watershed moment for Microsoft.  The company had arguably been struggling for bona fide exclusives, and although Starfield is playable on PC as well, if you’re a console gamer, you can only enter the world of Bethesda’s newest RPG on Xbox Series X/S. Could this be the beginning of a revival for Microsoft’s fortunes? In the long run, that remains to be seen, but October is looking like another great month for the Xbox ecosystem. Let’s take a look at the best Xbox Series X/S games heading your way…

“Underrated” is a very strange word indeed. It has different definitions for different people; some define it in terms of reviews, while others look to sales to justify calling a game underrated. We’re about to take a look at the 10 most underrated Xbox Series X/S games, and our definition of “underrated” may seem somewhat nebulous, but in essence, if we feel that a game has been unfairly overlooked in any terms, it fits the bill as far as we’re concerned. With that in mind, take this list of the 10 most underrated Xbox Series games as a chance to…

PC gaming is arguably getting more difficult these days.  With graphics cards reaching exorbitant prices and games demanding more and more exacting prices from users’ hardware, it’s getting tougher to reach the kind of visual and performance heights for which PC gaming used to be known and celebrated. That said, thanks to mods, a strong user community, and modular and flexible systems when it comes to customising your experience, many still think that PC gaming easily trumps consoles, especially when both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S have struggled to achieve their 60fps target in many modern games. With…

Many of us have fantasies about joining the police force when we’re kids. We think of the police as bringing in the bad guys, stopping society from falling apart, and keeping all of us safe at night. Of course, the reality is much more complicated than that, as we’ve learned recently, but that doesn’t mean there is no room for good police simulator games to teach us about the realities of policing or just plain fun experiences in which you play as a police officer. Are you ready to discover the best police simulator games to play? Below, we reveal…

Rare’s 2006 life sim Viva Pinata is a unique beast, which, we admit, is not the strongest start for an article discussing similar games. The principle is simple: you must attract pinata animals to your garden, and you’ll do so via a variety of different means, including planting grass, adding ponds, or even letting them eat other pinatas that have taken up residence. Viva Pinata and its sequel, Trouble in Paradise, espoused a strange atmosphere that balanced adorable pinatas with brutal kill-or-be-killed food-chain simulation. It stands to reason, then, that there aren’t too many games out there that are strikingly…

The mobile gaming industry is the home of simple yet addictive gameplay mechanics. Many mobile games boil down to extremely basic and straightforward controls, yet manage to attract and retain an audience due to presentation and implementation. That’s certainly the case for Egg, Inc., an idle clicker game created by the Los Angeles-based studio Auxbrain. Egg, Inc. is currently available for Android and iOS devices, and it’s got a very straightforward setup: click to spawn chickens, chickens make you money. Of course, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes when it comes to Egg, Inc.’s success, which is…

Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S may be trailing the PS5 in terms of sales (and perhaps even cultural significance), but it’s hard to argue that the console’s lineup isn’t stellar. With great multiplatform releases like Assassin’s Creed Mirage on the horizon, as well as huge sellers like Elden Ring and Hogwarts Legacy providing ample reasons to pick up an Xbox, Microsoft shouldn’t panic just yet if it looks like they’re underperforming compared to their longterm rivals. With the Activision-Blizzard acquisition looming on the horizon and Xbox Game Pass bringing many quality games to players at low prices, the Xbox Series…

It’s official: FIFA 23 is the final EA-developed game to bear the FIFA name.  After this instalment, EA will pivot towards its franchise’s new name of EA Sports FC, with the inaugural game in that series being this year’s EA Sports FC 24. FIFA has pledged to create its own series of video games, but that series won’t start this year, so for now, if you want the 2023-24 FIFA experience, you should opt for EA Sports FC 24. However, right now, many gamers are still enjoying FIFA 23, and EA recently released an update that made…

After the June rush, Gamescom Opening Night Live is arguably the next major event on the gaming calendar. Hosted by gaming journalist and presenter Geoff Keighley, Opening Night Live often features a mixture of trailers for already-announced games and genuine surprises, but this year, Keighley set expectations right from the get-go. He told expectant gamers that the event would largely consist of games that had already been announced. This, of course, potentially left room for one or two surprises, but for the most part, we did indeed see lots of games we already knew about. Naturally, these games received brand…

With over 10 million downloads on Android and more than 1.6 million ratings on iOS, it’s safe to say that BitLife is one of the most popular mobile games on the market right now. The game’s principles are simple; it’s basically a text adventure in which you must make a series of decisions about your life, monitoring how they change your character as you go. Despite that simplicity, there’s an addictive quality to BitLife that makes it a joy to fire up every time you grab your phone, and that kind of compelling design isn’t found everywhere in the gaming…

When you’re the owner of a console, it’s always nice to have an exclusive game arrive and justify your purchase. Whether it’s an excellent PS4 game like Bloodborne or one of Nintendo’s many hits for the Switch, an exclusive game can make the most of the hardware it’s been created for, as well as any unique features that console happens to have. 2022 had no shortage of great console-exclusive games, so without further ado, let’s take a look at the best of them.  Horizon Forbidden West If you’re a PlayStation owner, then 2022 was a great year. Horizon Forbidden…

With 2022 wrapping up, it’s about time to take a look back at some of the best games of the year. This was, all told, a very solid year for gaming; there were some truly excellent titles, and while the year also saw its fair share of mediocre offerings, it’s hard to argue that gamers weren’t spoiled for choice. Whatever platform you like to game on, there’s plenty from the year 2022 that should keep you entertained. Here are the best games of 2022, in no particular order. Elden Ring From Software’s traditional exploration-heavy action RPGs made the leap…

When it was released in September 2020 (after a period in Early Access), Hades proved to be a phenomenon. Developed by Supergiant Games, the roguelite tells the story of Zagreus, the son of Hades, who attempts to make his way out of the underworld in a rebellion against his father. Naturally, Zagreus fails time and time again, but each time you die, you’re treated to new dialogue and a chance to upgrade your abilities and weaponry. Even if you’re not usually a fan of the die-restart-die loop of roguelites, Hades consistently feels fresh and exciting on each run, and…

If you haven’t played Terraria yet and you’re a big fan of crafting and building games, we’d strongly recommend it. This unassuming-looking 2D indie game hides oceanic depth; you’ll be constructing imposing fortresses and entire cities before you even know it.  With that said, even Terraria can lose its lustre over time, and you might find yourself hankering for some similar experiences that wander off the beaten path just a little bit. If that’s the case, then you’re in luck, as the gaming world is full of great alternatives to this indie classic. Here are 12 great games like…

For many months, the rumour mill surrounding a new Nintendo console has been swirling. At time of writing, recent rumours have been giving the concept of a next-gen Nintendo machine renewed vigour, but Nintendo has yet to announce anything, and the company’s silence makes a lot of sense.  With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom doing rip-roaring sales numbers and even games like Pikmin 4 putting in a fairly impressive performance, there’s really no reason for Nintendo to release a Switch successor at the moment, even if the console’s performance is noticeably starting to flag. While…