Posts By Mat Growcott

Another week, another list of publishers and developers that have been accused of treating their staff abysmally. Add in Sony and Activision – and no doubt countless others – and it feels like the industry is just awful. Sexism, racism, abuse. These companies fly flags and issue press releases when International Women’s Day rolls around, but behind closed doors hate just about everybody regardless of anything. Equal opportunities abuse ...

At the grizzled old age of 32 sometimes I need help understanding the basics of the modern world. What is a dab? Why is TikTok a thing when it’s so obviously not a thing? And today, what the hell are vtubers? For a while now, there’s been a lot on the internet that I haven’t understood. Frankly, it’s only been getting worse. As someone who grew up in 90s chatrooms, I used to get the wild west nature of the…

A clever consumer is always on the lookout for a bargain. Luckily, if you’re also in gambling, it pays to always be willing to look around. That’s not just because you might get bored of what you’re already on, although that’s true too. There’s a rich collection of casinos on the internet that can scratch any and all itches you might have. But it’s also because a lot of the powers of these casinos want your money. They want ...

Almost two months ago Microsoft announced it was making the biggest purchase in the history of video games. Xbox is buying Activision. Then they disappeared. Call me ungrateful if you’d like. It’s a seemingly obtuse point to make: that they are both making the biggest purchase in the history of video games and being too quiet. The patient adult in me wants to accept that there are things happening behind the scenes. The obnoxious internet side of ...

There were no 15 minutes introductory cutscenes. There’s no quest log or diary of recent dialogue. Hell, there isn’t even a Sonic the Hedghog-esque voice actor saying “previously on…” every time I load. I have no idea what’s happening in Elden Ring – and I love it. I mean, hey, I like being beaten over the head with issues as much as the next guy. I’m sure those giants I’ve killed over and over are Somalian ...

There was a time when the question of what was better, first-person or third-person shooters, wasn’t even a question. Today, it’s a muddier concept. A big part of the resurgence of third-person shooters is because of genre-bending. Cinematic games work better in third-person. There are games like 1v1.lol, that combines online building simulator and third-person action game. In 1v1, you can play online against real players, enjoy a battle royale mode ...

With some hobby’s when you want to find something new you can expect to shell out hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Thankfully that’s not true if your hobby is gambling. There are countless casinos online in the UK that are desperate for your custom. And most are only a few clicks away. But how do you decide exactly which casino should get your business? Luckily, finding new outlets for your hobby is much easier than it might seem when…

Horizon appeared. It reviewed very well. It sold pretty well. And it disappeared into the shadow of Elden Ring. Forums throughout the interest are dissecting the new king of the open world to the point of complete joylessness, for better or for worse. And Horizon Forbidden West has had to take a quiet second place. It’s important here to say this isn’t an article about Horizon’s quality, or even about its quality next to Elden Ring. This is ...

Occasionally a game will come out that helps define a generation. Ocarina of Time. Metal Gear Solid 2. The Last of Us. Red Dead Redemption 2. And now, perhaps, we can add Elden Ring to that list. I say perhaps because I haven’t played it yet. I wasn’t planning to play it for some time. Trailers and discussions have been ignored… But today the Metacritic score got to me and I loaded up my Amazon account and purchased the launch…

Horizon Forbidden West has come and gone, and it’s apparently unplayable. It has only an 88 on Metacritic. Call Sony, tell them to shut it all down. Nope, not just PlayStation. Shut it ALL down. Don’t take my word for it either. Go take a look on Twitter, or on the regular gaming forums. People are up in arms because – horrors of horrors – Forbidden West didn’t score above a 90. It didn’t score above Forza Horizon. It ...