Posts By Mat Growcott

Kingdom Hearts is a mess of mixed genres, overlapping storylines and convoluted writing, and yet we still love it. Its cheesy optimism and tight gameplay – not to mention the much-loved cameos – makes it a must-play for anybody with a heart (sorry, Nobodies). Melody of Memory takes all of that and basically just dumps it in the bin, replacing the best of the franchise with a self-indulgent Theatrhythm clone. And that’s not to say it’s ...

Be warned: if you want to go in fresh with Halo Infinite this November, you’ll want to be very, very careful. Parts of the story have leaked and, as usual, trolls are trying to ruin it for the rest of us. Test flighting for the game’s multiplayer mode has been going on for the last few days. But developers accidentally included story points within the file. Of course, it didn’t take long for them to get out. Now people are…

It’s incredible to think that a mere week ago I’d have been deadly in the pilot’s seat of a plane. Now, thanks to Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox Series X, I’d be merely very dangerous. Yes, thanks to this masterclass in design, I’ve actually learnt a thing or two. I’m only half-joking. Okay, so very few people who play this game are going to end up capable of taking to the skies. But, man, it does a good job of…

How do you get to find the best casinos? The answer is easier than you might think. The internet is full of guides that’ll point you in the direction of as many casinos as you want. But the reality is that you must find the casino that works for you. Or even more than one casino. Because what works for one person might not work for another. The key is to know what you want, and to use the tools…

We’re nearly there – the final piece of DLC for Super Smash Bros Ultimate is on the horizon and then the biggest celebration of video games will come to an end. But what a legacy it will have. But it also marks a fork in the road for a franchise that has reached its peak. Do the developers continuing doing exactly the same thing, just with less characters? How does that go down after the success of Ultimate? Do they…

Steam Deck could be an instant success – it’s every advantage of the Switch while surpassing it graphically, even offering up many of the best titles from the Series X and PlayStation 5. This thing could revolutionise the entire industry, and especially on the PC side. But only if people know it exists. Because that’s the rub. I was an avid fan of the Steam Controller, despite not being a massive PC gamer. I ranted and raved about how much…

Another game in the Final Fantasy X universe is in the early planning stages, and there’s even a chance it might actually see the light of day. As somebody still trying to get through the slog of Final Fantasy X-2, I’m not convinced this is a good thing. Final Fantasy X-2 is famously divisive. Some praise it for its excellent job system and attention to world development. Everybody else knocks it for… well, just about every other element. The ...

An historic Last of Us with rats instead of zombies. There ya go – everything you need to know about A Plague Tale: Innocence. Asobo have almost cracked the Naughty Dog code straight out of the gate with their first game in this style, and that’s incredible. ‘Almost’ is carrying a lot of weight in that sentence though. Intention doesn’t usually mean an awful lot in reviews – something is successful or it’s not – ...

There’s a great quote that I think successfully sums up Nintendo’s OLED Switch announcement. It’s attributed to Henry Ford, although he didn’t actually say it. “If I’d have asked people what they wanted, they’d have said faster horses”. Well, Nintendo, people are unfortunately screaming for faster horses, and you gave them the same horse in a stupid hat. The Switch is a juggernaut, and it isn’t going away ...

God of War is a hallowed series, there’s no doubt about it. Spoken about in hushed tones, remembered fondly and regularly as the definition of a PlayStation classic. And rightly so. But those original games haven’t aged particularly well, and are made worse for how hard they are to play decently. That’s not to say the effort isn’t worth it. If you’re happy to laugh at a few cheesy mini-games or poorly put together cutscenes, ...