Author: David Carter
For more than 15 years, my love for looter shooters has been blazing brightly, and Borderlands was the spark that ignited the fire. Gearbox demonstrates that it still knows how to deliver the boom with Borderlands 4. It seemed like this franchise had started to lag in the genre it created after Borderlands 3 fizzled out a little, but 2025’s Borderlands surprised us once more by abandoning segmented sections and adopting an honest-to-goodness open world. The story takes a refreshingly grounded approach that works; the movement is drastically improved, making it one of the most immersive first-person shooters available, and…
The September Humble Choice selection has been formally revealed for those wishing to expand their PC collection as the colder fall weather begins to set in. If you join up for a Humble Choice membership, you may purchase a range of titles, such as WWE 2K25, Destiny 2: Legacy Collection, The Plucky Squire, and five others, for just $14.99. In addition to those titles, this month also includes a complimentary one-month subscription, which enables you to disable advertisements on the website, access free games, and more. September 2025: Humble Choice A Humble Choice membership offers a variety of other benefits…
It’s a common saying that war never changes, but what if the terrible things that happen during a conflict become monsters that ensnare people in a cycle of their worst actions? Hell is Us uses its fantasy near-future scenario to take a grim, realistic look at the horrors of war, yet even then, it turns out that human depravity is still worse than any supernatural disaster. Hell is Us kept me engaged during my 38-hour excursion, even though the actual act of fighting your way through the monsters of this ravaged nation isn’t doing anything novel for the action-adventure genre.…
It has been difficult to forecast Nintendo’s “game + add-on” rereleases just by looking at that label. While the more recent Super Mario Party made its way onto Switch 2 with the Jamboree TV expansion, which was both identical to the original game and completely different in a few strange ways, Super Mario 3D World made its leap to Switch 1 with Bowser’s Fury, which was essentially a brand-new game. It is now Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s time, and its Star-Crossed World add-on is a Kirby-sized breath of fresh air just because it is so simple to explain: it…
When it comes to remakes, where do you draw the line? How do you strike a balance between maintaining the originality and exercising creative freedom? While everyone has a slightly different response, Konami prioritized faithfulness in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, the 2004 stealth-action game remake directed by Hideo Kojima. Except a significant graphic makeover, Konami kept Snake Eater almost exactly one-to-one and was not afraid to give Kojima and his crew credit throughout. As a result, even though Metal Gear Solid has aged over the past 21 years, there is still something fresh about its classic stealth-action gameplay…
Fans of 2D ninja platformers are finding 2025 to be an incredible year. Sega’s legendary Shinobi franchise has come out of a 14-year hibernation to launch a fistful of kunai directly into your adrenal glands, and the 16-bit blood sprites on Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound’s katana have hardly dried. With plenty of contemporary flair, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance revives the series’ slash-and-dash action. It equips the returning hero Joe Musashi with a deliciously broad range of intense ninja techniques and displays them all in a stunning hand-drawn style, creating an experience that is always visually pleasing but occasionally challenging on reflexes.…
With the original taking place in the 1930s, the sequel taking place in the 1940s and 1950s, and Mafia III taking place in the late 1960s, the Mafia series has steadfastly advanced through the decades since its inception. I was prepared if the 1970s, 1980s, or both were to be the following stage. Whatever it was—casino intrigue, shine boxes, or late-night stealing of enormous kitchen knives from Martin Scorcese’s mother—I was game. However, Mafia: The Old Country takes us back to the beginning of the 20th century rather than bringing us closer to the finish. And not only to the…
We haven’t had a legitimate Ninja Gaiden game for a very long time. While numerous spin-offs, ports, and remakes have been made (such as the fantastic Ninja Gaiden II Black this year), Ninja Gaiden is seeing a renaissance with Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4. The intriguing topic of what a Ninja Gaiden game would look like in the Year of Our Lord 2025 arises from taking such a long pause. The answer is “f***ing awesome,” if Ragebound’s return to 2D side-scrolling is any guide. I want to be playing it when I’m not because it’s one…
Before a 1v1 RTS match begins, there’s a moment that’s unlike anything else I’ve experienced in a game, and Stormgate delivers. I take a deep breath as I feel my heartbeat and watch the countdown timer begin to tick. It’s just me and a random stranger vying for fame or disaster as I’m staring at a vibrant command center and a group of employees. Although Stormgate’s journey to its current state during Early Access hasn’t always been positive, it is making some subtle and not-so-subtle design advancements to the basecraft formula. Although Stormgate no longer uses the Early Access moniker,…
For a game built around a sword that has been refined over years of iteration but has also become stale over time, The Edge of Fate is a title that may be a little too obvious. After finally feeling like it could have found its feet, this most recent expansion takes a few significant steps back in the illustrious and rich history of Destiny 2. Despite having an occasionally engaging plot, the 14-mission campaign is tedious and overstuffed with busywork; the RPG and buildcrafting revamp is trapped behind one of the worst grinds Destiny has ever seen; and the new…