Honest Reviews. Smarter Play

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Mat Growcott has been a long-time member of the gaming press. He's written two books and a web series, and doesn't have nearly enough time to play the games he writes about.

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Posts By Mat Growcott

Phantom Pain – Hospital Level is a Tutorial

There are a lot of people debating the meaning behind the Hospital in the newly unveiled Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and rightly so. An awful lot of the new trailer seems to revolve around the area, as did the last trailer. Lost amid the excitement, however, is the fact that the Hospital is set to be the game’s opening tutorial level. This was confirmed by Kojima during the presentation. This means an awful lot to discussing the…

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The Phantom Pain is Metal Gear Solid V – Trailer

We all knew that The Phantom Pain was a Metal Gear Solid game, and that all the misdirection was just that. Today it has been confirmed that The Phantom Pain is actually Metal Gear Solid V, alongside an absolutely stunning 6 minute long trailer that will almost certainly have you on the edge of your seat. Don’t forget to slam the resolution up to 1080p. Some of it we’d seem before, a lot of it is brand new. It looks…

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Next Ninja Gaiden Made with Unreal Engine 3

There were rumours at the end of last year that the next Ninja Gaiden game, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, would be made using Epic’s Unreal Engine 3. Tecmo Koei and Epic have today confirmed those rumours, With a beautiful new cel-shaded art style, this new reboot of the infamously difficult series is bound to split fans, but no more so than the last iteration – Ninja Gaiden 3. Further information will be released about the game over the coming months,…

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Rock Band DLC Ends on a High Note

Easily the best party music franchise is coming to an end next week, when the final piece of DLC for Rock Band 3 is released. As a goodbye to the franchise and to the thousands of diehard fans who have supported them through to this point, Harmonix have announced that the last song will be the very suitable 'American Pie' by Don McLean. It's been a big request over the years, so what better way to end four years of weekly DLC?

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Want to be the Very Best? – European Pokemon Championships Dated

If you couldn’t read through the title of this post without breaking into song, there’s a bit of good news for you. If you’re a PokeNut and have a team to be proud of in Black and White 2, you could be in for a chance to be shipped off to Vancouver, where you can prove yourself to the world as the ultimate Pokemon master. Professor Oak would be proud. The European leg of the competition will be held across…

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Ubisoft think Rayman will be a Wii U System Seller

Ubisoft recently revealed that Rayman Legends – a game that was touted as a release-window must-buy – was being delayed on Wii U so that it could go multi-plat. Fans of the franchise, and people who just wanted an awesome platformer on Wii U, didn’t take the news especially well, and who can blame them? Copies of the Wii U version of the game are probably sitting in warehouses, gathering dust. The feedback and anger haven’t deterred ...

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Double Fine’s Next Game… Ships on a Floppy Disk

Double Fine are currently at PAX East, sharing a booth with Capy, with whom they have released a bundle on Steam. To commemorate their working together, a few developers have created a game: Capy Fine Racing GP, an Outrun-style retro game with a twist - it actually comes on a floppy disk.

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Gears of War:Judgment Review

Never a franchise known for deep, memorable storytelling, the concept of Gears of War: Judgment seemed a little odd. Were people really that interested in what Baird and Cole were up to when Emergence Day occurred, or right before the final attack on Azura of Gears of War 3? It turns out the absence of Marcus wouldn't change things too much: Gears of War: Judgment follows in the veins of its predecessors in both style and personality, though to slightly lesser ...

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Masters of the World Review

If you’ve ever looked through the papers, hoping to find a shred of explanation as to why politicians act the way they do, knowing full well that you could do a far better job, Masters of the World is for you. It’s the third in Eversim’s geo-political simulator series, and while other games task you with ruling the world or coming to an uneasy peace with every other nation, in Masters of the World you’ll make difficult decisions, work to jumpstart the economy ...

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New Soccer Star Review

Introduction New Soccer Star has been around for a long time, but its jump to mobile devices has rocketed the franchise to new heights. Not only did its creator, Simon Read, win a BAFTA over other, more established franchises like FIFA and Forza, but sales have been high and critical reception seems to have been very positive as well. With great reviews, a place in award show history and a renewed interest in what is bound to be a bigger…

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ESRB Rate Jak and Daxter Collection for Vita

The ESRB have rated a version of the Jak and Daxter HD Collection for PlayStation Vita. If you’ve ever wanted a healthy dose of platforming fun (followed by two less fun but great games) on the go, this might be your chance. Although not confirmed by Sony, an ESRB rating means a port is almost certainly in the works and is probably even in the latter stages of development. First spotted by Neogaf user ULTROS!, the Jak and Daxter HD…

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Trials Evolution Gold Edition Review

Trials HD was perhaps one of the most difficult games of this generation. Getting through the later levels took such a degree of timing, so much muscle memory and a healthy dose of luck. For Evolution, Red Lynx pushed everything one step further, creating a game where the stunts were more deadly, the feats more impressive and the locations more interesting. Now the franchise is finally returning to PC, and to reward the long wait the developers have decided to ...

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The Mobile Movement: How The Indie Revolution is Changing the Industry

At some point over the last six or seven years, the gaming world completely changed. The omnipotent power of the big publishers started to wane and, thanks to more open platforms like Steam, Android and the App Store on iDevices, smaller developers could release a game and have it sell hundreds of thousands, if not millions of copies. Perhaps the biggest indicator of this shift in recent weeks was at the BAFTAs. Indie games took home almost every single prize, ...

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Durango Unleashed – Everything We Know, Everything We Don’t Understand

The next Xbox - code named Durango - has been something of a worry for gamers that supported Microsoft this last generation. Rumours of always-on connections, used-game blocking and an increased reliance on apps and Kinect have got people worried. After the PlayStation 4 reveal, the panic increased. The PS4 seemed to do everything right, and yet the negatives of Durango kept leaking. Just how much of it is true? What can we expect to see from Microsoft's next ...

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Egg Shaped PS4? – Just what are Sony UK Teasing?

Sony have yet to show off their PS4 console, and it’s causing many to wonder just what the device will look like. That’s why a post on the UK Sony Facebook page is causing a bit of a splash with their followers. The picture shows a red egg-shaped device that looks as much like a chair from an old sci-fi program than it does a games console. This can’t possible be the PlayStation 4, can it? I have to admit,…

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