Latest Soapbox
September2024
Soapbox Astro's Playroom PS5 Did Live Service and You Didn't Even Notice
Sorry, it's true
Live service has become a curse word among enthusiast gamers. While ostensibly a business model, many associate the phrase with multiplayer and microtransactions. It’s true that free-to-play games like Fortnite are live service, with regular iterations introducing seasonal gameplay mechanics, systems, and themes. Right now...
Committed Concordians
At approximately 9AM PT on 3rd September, Firewalk Studios and PlayStation announced that Concord would be removed from sale immediately and the servers would be shut down just three days later on 6th September. This sent all Trophy hunters who were chasing the game’s Platinum and some fans of the game into a state of panic...
Going through changes
PlayStation, more than any other platform holder, has endured the test of time through its unique ability to reinvent itself. Where its rivals have historically relied on tried-and-trusted intellectual property, like Mario and Halo, Sony has rarely ever stood still, overhauling its image with each respective generation. It’s...
May2024
Soapbox Once a PS4 Console Exclusive, PS5 Players Are Missing a Visual Stunner in Hellblade 2
Senua's saga continues elsewhere
Back when it was released on PS4 and PC back in 2017, we gave Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice an 8/10 in our review and highlighted that the way it uses the "unique attributes of the medium to raise awareness of mental health" is what "elevates this release beyond the sum of its parts". Since then, Microsoft has bought...
January2024
Soapbox This Is Why Physical Games Are Still Important to Me
Material guy
I’ve got a confession to make: most of my PS5 and PS4 library is digital these days. I understand why the industry is increasingly transitioning away from physical media, and I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t address that right from the off. However, I still purchase plenty of cartridges and discs, and I believe boxed games still...
Soapbox Hear Me Out! Honkai: Star Rail Is One of PS5's Better Roguelites
The scintillating Simulated Universe
Roguelites are so universally popular these days that you’re beginning to see the genre bolted on to cinematic action games, like God of War Ragnarok’s recent Valhalla expansion or the upcoming No Return mode being added to The Last of Us: Part 2 Remastered. While both great examples of the formula, I want to...
December2023
Soapbox Dead Space Is This Year's (Almost) Forgotten Horror Delight
An underrated thriller
If you watched The Game Awards at the start of December (and, lord knows, many of us did), you’d be forgiven for thinking that there was only one stellar horror remake this year: Resident Evil 4. Don’t get me wrong — the Resi remake is a stunner, a fantastic thrill ride that pares away some of the campier moments from...
Soapbox These PS5, PS4 Games Brought Me the Most Joy in 2023
Stephen's feel-good games of the year
When the time comes each year to start thinking about our Game of the Year coverage, I always struggle to narrow down my favourites to just a top five. There are so many titles that deserve recognition. Especially in a year like 2023, which has been bursting with top games from the very start, I find it really...
Soapbox The Wait for GTA 6 on PS5 Will Be Excruciating
A long road
Of those 100 million views the GTA 6 trailer has totted up, I think I’ve contributed at least 100 so far. I never used to consider myself a massive Grand Theft Auto fan, but over the years I’ve realised it’s always been a mainstay in my PlayStation collection. I was a youngster when the original released on PS1, and while I never...
October2023
Soapbox My Favourite Game at Tokyo Game Show Wasn't Actually on PS5, PS4
Let's go by train
Regular readers will know, perhaps rather unusually, I love trains. I’ve been covering Train Sim World in intimate detail for years now, much to developer Dovetail’s pleasure. (I will get around to reviewing Train Sim World 4 by the way, it’s just the schedule’s been brutal for me this past month. Also, maybe the studio...
July2023
Soapbox Stop What You're Doing and Watch Double Fine's PsychOdyssey Right Now
Please watch 2 Player Productions' outstanding documentary
I had always planned to watch PsychOdyssey. I'd been aware of it since the start of 2023, and only heard good things about it, but it just kinda faded into the background. Recently, though, when me and my partner were stuck for something to watch, I remembered this documentary and suggested...
May2023
Soapbox Marvel's Spider-Man 2 PS5 Should Adapt This Quintessential Storyline
Bobby has ideas for the plot of Sony's anticipated sequel
Anticipation and hype are slowly but surely building up in a big way for Insomniac’s superhero sequel, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The game is expected to have a major presence on Wednesday’s PlayStation Showcase which could very well offer the best look yet at both plot and gameplay...
Soapbox PS Plus Might Be Gaming's Best Subscription Service Now
Liam's a happy member
While Sammy doesn't see subscription services becoming the industry standard in the future, I at least think PS Plus is the best one you could be a member of right now. Following a long and impressive streak of monthly updates, I believe what Sony is doing with its three-tiered setup just about edges the offerings of
April2023
Soapbox I No Longer Think Subscriptions Like PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass Are the Future of Gaming
Sammy weighs in on the subscription debate
In this job, there are clear and obvious trends that dominate the discussion, sometimes for years at a time. I’ve been running Push Square for well over a decade now, and I’m lucky enough to have reported on many of the defining moments that have engaged enthusiasts: there was the battle for motion...
Soapbox Final Fantasy 16 Is the Most Excited I've Been for the Series in Almost 20 Years
Finally, a Final Fantasy
I'm a massive fan of Final Fantasy. No doubt like many of you reading this, my gaming tastes were shaped by seminal PS1 titles like Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX. As a kid, those RPGs showed me that games could be more than Crash Bandicoot or Tekken 2 — that they could tell epic, 50-hour stories filled with unique...
Soapbox Watch Another 20 Minutes of Final Fantasy 16? You Must Be Mad
Rob just wants to play it
Final Fantasy XVI is easily my most anticipated PlayStation game. Hell, it's probably the most excited I've been for a PS5 game to date. So when Sony confirmed a new State of Play broadcast featuring over 20 whole minutes of fresh Final Fantasy XVI gameplay, I turned away in disgust. Why? Because I feel like I've seen half...
Soapbox Hold On, Is the PS3 a Retro Console?
Rory is having a time crisis
The passage of time. Weird one, init? Never mind the fact I just turned 30 this month and – dodgy knees aside – still feel about 21, there’s something else that’s got me all messed up this week. While plumbing the depths of the Twitterverse the other night, I stumbled across something that I didn’t...
March2023
Soapbox PSVR2 Already Feels Like It's on Course for Failure
Liam's worried for the headset's future
No matter whether the reports of Sony shifting only 270,000 PSVR2 headsets since its February 2023 launch are true or not, it seems safe to say the future of the platform isn't exactly guaranteed. While current owners are enjoying a long list of launch titles and a handful of games released since 22nd February...
Soapbox I Can't Stop Thinking About Kung Fu Rider on PS3
Bums on seats
While casually browsing the Nintendo Switch’s painfully slow digital storefront this week, one game in particular caught my eye: it’s called, amusingly, Gekisou! Benza Race -Toilet Shooting Star- and the typo-laden description explains that you’ll be riding a bog in various racing scenarios. The provided screenshots look scrappy,...
February2023
Soapbox I Would Crush a Cyborg Spine for a Metal Gear Rising Remaster
Rules of nature
This article was originally published in February 2021, but we're bringing it back for the 10th anniversary of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and because of the very recent rumours of the game receiving a remaster. Sadly, that still hasn't happened at the time of republishing — but that just makes this soapbox all the more...
December2022
Soapbox More Publishers, Including PlayStation, Should Celebrate Their Catalogues Like Atari 50
Rose tinted glasses
I’ve always enjoyed retro games, but I don’t think I ever considered myself a Retro Gamer™ until this year. At just 34-years-old, I’m certainly not old – but I am getting older, and I’m beginning to appreciate how this shapes my perspective. For example, I was around for the entirety of the PS1 era – I even attended...
Soapbox I Saved Xmas from a Rogue Elf in Train Sim World 3 on PS5, PS4
Off the rails
If that headline is not what you were expecting – well, you’re not the only one! Train Sim World 3 is a game I love – I write about it quite a lot – but I fully appreciate it’s an acquired taste. This is a hardcore simulation where you really need to swat up on the operation of your locos, and while Dovetail has improved the...
Soapbox Help Me! I'm Hooked on Genshin Impact
Whoops
Oh no, it’s only gone and happened, hasn’t it? Genshin Impact may already be a couple of years old, and thus sturdily established among many PlayStation faithfuls, but I think it may be digging its claws into me next. To be clear, I’m only 20 or so hours into my adventure through Teyvat, so there’s still time for me to escape. But I...
September2022
Soapbox Ask Push Square's Video Producer Anything
We're on the hunt for your burning questions.
Hello there Push Square community! My name is Aaron, and for the last six months I have been your resident YouTube video producer. It is a great gig to say the least, where I get to discuss, rant, and dissect my favourite (and least favourite) aspects of the PlayStation world. This week marks six months...
Soapbox Bring Back Warhawk on PS5, You Cowards
Pretty please
Republished on Wednesday 21st September 2022: It's the 15th anniversary of Warhawk, so we thought we'd bring back this Soapbox from the archives to celebrate the classic PS3 shooter. The year 2007 was a particularly good vintage for online multiplayer. Most notably, this was the year Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare launched, and its...
July2022
Soapbox I'm Sorry, But Your Cute Cat Game Isn't That Great
Feline feisty
I played Stray to completion twice this past weekend, once to see the story through to its end and the second to unlock the Platinum Trophy. It is a really sweet game with a unique hook — who doesn't want to play as a cat? — but I think the fact you get to play as a feline is clouding people's judgment somewhat. Once you get over...
Soapbox No Free PS5 Upgrade for Persona 5 Royal Is an Insult to Fans and the Game Itself
Royally screwed
News broke this week that Persona 5 Royal won't offer any kind of upgrade path for those who already own the game on PS4, but want to grab the shiny new PS5 version that's set to launch on the 21st October. And frankly, that's a disgrace. Persona 5 Royal is itself a re-release of Persona 5 — and that didn't have an upgrade path...
Soapbox A Racing Wheel Taught This Arcade Die-Hard the Joy of Gran Turismo 7
Stephen finally gets it
An all-time favourite game of mine is Burnout 3: Takedown. The launch title I bought alongside my PS3 was MotorStorm. The outside chance of a new Ridge Racer is what gets me out of bed in the morning. Well, I mean, that last one's an exaggeration, but Bamco, it's time. Come on. The point is, I love arcade racing games, and I...
June2022
Soapbox I Tried So Hard to Like Elden Ring, But I Just Couldn’t Do It
Born of the Bloodborne, undone by the Elden Ring
Despite never having played any of FromSoftware’s previous releases, the presentation of Bloodborne was too intriguing for me to pass up at launch. I played for a few hours, beat a couple of bosses, and I didn’t like it. Fast forward to 2022. Elden Ring launches, and all my friends excitedly talk...
Soapbox PS Plus Premium Has Turned My Email Inbox into a Nightmare
Thank You For Your Purchase
The new PS Plus tiers are only a few days old here in Europe, but they're already wreaking havoc on my email inbox (which, let's be real, is a total mess to begin with). If you don't know, every time you buy something from the PlayStation Store, Sony will send you an email receipt. Fair enough, but you can get absolutely...
Liam wants his week of excitement back
And so here we are: the week in June we have come to expect all the biggest gaming news for the year to take place in has arrived. E3 has been the event on the calendar every fan, journalist, and developer alike would look forward to, safe in the knowledge something big was about to go down. It was an...
February2022
Soapbox It's Okay to Enjoy Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West
Why not both?
History has a way of repeating itself, and just like Horizon Zero Dawn in 2017, the discourse surrounding Horizon Forbidden West has been destroyed by the arrival of an alternative open world game. Twitter is awash with the repetition of an increasingly tedious gag: apparently gamers can’t wait for the third instalment in Guerrilla...
Soapbox Draw Four and Don’t Sleep On UNO
One is the funniest number that you’ll ever do
It’s 2 AM. The raucous sounds of laughter ring throughout the house. Try as I may, I just can’t stop my cackling. You see, I just drew another card, bringing my total hand size to thirty. And my friends and I can’t help but find the whole situation hilarious. When it comes to gaming, there are a...
Soapbox Sony Is Making More Live Service Games for PS5, PS4, And I'm Excited
You read the headline right
Aw sh*t, here we go again: it’s time for the classic contrarian video game website opinion to stoke comments and clicks. Most people are mad about Sony’s decision to make more live service games, and now this chump has come along to tell you why you’re wrong all along. It’s a tale as old as time, and clickbait at...
January2022
Soapbox Sony's Bet on PSVR2 Is Brave and That's a Brilliant Thing
Innovate or stagnate
I saw a tweet earlier this week that basically said, amid heightened competition from Microsoft and Nintendo, Sony could do without the distraction of PSVR2. I understood where the poster was coming from: I too have been guilty of looking at this medium through the prism of an ongoing business battle, where games are ammunition...
Soapbox Don't Let F.I.S.T. Pass You By
Liam likes this Metroidvania
F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is a poor name for a pretty darn good game. I started and completed this Metroidvania over the Christmas holidays, and I think it's gone underappreciated. Not a world-beater by any means that'll rival the love Hollow Knight gets, but it's still an impressive first outing from TiGames. Its...
December2021
Soapbox Sony's First-Party Exclusives Will Shine Once Again in 2022
Horizon! God of War! Gran Turismo! More?
I imagine everyone at PlayStation is proud of how it’s navigated the pandemic, but there must be a degree of disappointment within top brass walls. Sony planned for this generation probably better than any before it, and it had talked about transitioning players at record pace. The fact that it rounded out...
Soapbox Vermintide 2 Might Be My Game of the Year (But It Released in 2018)
Rats!
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is a brilliant game. I bought it in a PlayStation Store sale ages ago, but a combination of home network issues and choppy PS4 performance made me drop it a lot sooner than I would have liked. Fast forward a couple of years or so, and I can't stop playing the bloody thing on PS5 (where it runs at a silky smooth 60...
Soapbox How Discord Will Change the Way We Play PS5, PS4 Together in 2022
We're all connected
One of the bigger stories of 2021 came when Sony announced it had invested in Discord and was working on full integration with the PlayStation Network. The news emerged shortly after Microsoft withdrew from a rumoured $10 billion buyout of the social network, making for a nice juxtaposition among those who follow the industry...
Soapbox Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars, the Most Relaxing RPG I've Ever Played
Yoko Taro's latest is super chill, says Stephen
By all accounts, I shouldn't really like Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars. As a rule, I shy away from JRPGs, because I often find them to be too complicated, too long, too insane, or some combination of the three. I've certainly tried to get into the genre, and my longstanding attachment to...
Soapbox PS5's Next-Gen PSVR Headset Is Going to Drop Jaws in 2022
A reality
Gamers can be a strange breed, you know? This is an industry that’s founded on technological innovation: it’s a beautiful blend of computing and entertainment. I don’t know about you, but I love this hobby because it never stands still: the games we play, the consoles we use – they’re always evolving. Compare the original...
Soapbox EA Originals Was the Publisher's Secret Weapon in 2021
EA's indie push is where it's at, says Stephen
Electronic Arts gets a very bad rap these days. While I'd agree that the publisher isn't quite what it once was — and it certainly has made a bundle of mistakes over the last five years or so — it isn't quite as negative as all that. I'm not here to defend it for any missteps or misfires; that's a...
November2021
Soapbox I Think I'm Over Trophies
Locked
I’ve never been what some would affectionately label a Trophy whore, but they have utterly captivated me for well over a decade now. I earned my first PlayStation gong in Super Stardust HD the day Sony rolled out the feature; my first Platinum was Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, the first game to feature the now-iconic silvery-blue pot. In...
Soapbox Please Don't Let GTA 4 Rot on PS3, Rockstar
Liam wants to go bowling again
By the end of this week, every mainline Grand Theft Auto game still worth a playthrough will be available on PlayStation 5 and PS4 — except for one. The badly named Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition remasters III, Vice City, and
October2021
Soapbox Some Games Assume You Know How to Play Them, and It's Kinda Weird
Stephen laments unwritten rules that might alienate newcomers
Video games can be difficult to get into — or at least, they might appear that way from the outside looking in. Within the last five or 10 years, though, it's an industry that has opened up in a lot of ways. Technology like motion controls and smartphones have broken down barriers and...
September2021
Soapbox After a Year of Silence, Today's PlayStation Showcase Can't Afford Dead Air
Sammy thinks Sony needs to bring it
Here we go, then: the PlayStation Showcase, three months after E3 2021, with nary a word from the platform holder in the interim. I’ve got to be honest, while supposed “industry insiders” started new press conference rumours on what felt like a weekly basis, I’d gotten to the point towards the end of...
Soapbox I Don't Know How to Feel About This PS4-to-PS5 Upgrade Uproar
Stephen sees the situation from both sides
Last week, Horizon Forbidden West pre-orders opened up, allowing excited fans to lay down some dosh for Guerrilla's anticipated PlayStation exclusive. While this was of course met with enthusiasm, the announcement was tarnished by the game's PS4-to-PS5 upgrade path — or, to be precise, lack of. If you...
August2021
Soapbox Don't Let Psychonauts 2 Pass You By
Even if it's just the PS4 version
The PlayStation 4 version of Psychonauts 2 is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Despite being perfectly playable on Sony's last-gen system, it's almost as if the world doesn't know this particular version exists as marketing is pumped into the Xbox Series X|S and PC versions of the game. That's completely...
Soapbox Where's My Red Dead Redemption 2 PS5 Version, Rockstar?
Liam wants to return to the wild west
Rockstar Games is reportedly on a roll with remasters at the moment, as the confirmed re-release of Grand Theft Auto V for PlayStation 5 is heavily rumoured to be joined by a trio of remastered GTA titles from the PS2 era at the end of the year. If that package sells well — and let's be honest here, it...
Soapbox GTA: San Andreas Is Still an Open World Classic
Aw sh*t, here we go again
The rumour that Rockstar is remastering the PlayStation 2’s trilogy of Grand Theft Auto games for PlayStation 5 and PS4 last week had a profound impact on me: I simply had to return to the fictional state of San Andreas. My history with the 2004 open world is both fortuitous and a little bit embarrassing actually: despite...
Soapbox I Don't Understand Service Games That Don't Add Trophies
Retention prevention
I just can’t understand it, readers: if you’re designing a game that’s built around player retention, why wouldn’t you add new Trophies to it? I suppose the easy answer is thus: Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone are two of the biggest games in the world and don’t actually have any gongs to unlock, but it still blows...
July2021
Soapbox PS5 Is Beautiful When Its Distinctive Features Are Used Properly
Sammy's a big fan of Sony's new console when it comes together
I’ve got to be honest: unless it’s a first-party game, I’ve come to expect the worst when it comes to publishers using PlayStation 5’s unique features. Many of them will talk a big game prior to release, but once you get your fingers on the pad, it falls apart. Titles like DIRT 5...
Soapbox What Makes Returnal So Special
Liam found a rogue-like to love
Generally, I don't like the rogue-like genre. Just the idea of having to restart an entire game over again upon death sort of rubs me the wrong way. I want to be making progress at all times; having to replay sequences never entertains me. That need is probably why I so rarely replay games in general. A few classics...
Soapbox Why I'm Less Excited for Deathloop on PS5 Than I Should Be
As State of Play looms
Deathloop is undoubtedly one of my most anticipated games – or, at least, it should be. Despite being rightly acclaimed, I still feel the Dishonored series is a little underrated: Arkane’s stealth sandboxes pack masterful level design, providing a real sense of freedom allowing you to tackle problems however you see fit...
May2021
Soapbox Why I'm Not Expecting a PS5, PS4 Press Conference from PlayStation Next Month
Times are changing
Sony moves in mysterious ways these days, which can make predicting the platform holder’s plans a challenge to say the least. Here are a handful of things I’ve observed of late, however: the company’s announcing and showcasing games much closer to release these days; it tends to focus on one title at a time; it’s over E3...
Soapbox I'm Beyond Excited for PS5's Next-Gen PSVR
Sammy's feeling the hype
I’ve been thinking about PSVR a lot lately. I loved the original headset, and I’m very proud of how Push Square – in my probably biased opinion – had some of the best virtual reality coverage online at the time. I’ll readily admit that I’ve dropped off a lot since the PlayStation 5 came out – that spaghetti of...
Soapbox 69% of PlayStation's Revenue Is Driven by PS Store, But the Shopping Experience Sucks
Sammy's grudging forking out on PS5, PS4
There are many things I don’t understand in this world – wrestling being the main one, really – but Sony’s recent round of financials had me parroting that emoji where the little yellow guy has his chin perched on his thumb and index finger. A staggering 69 per cent of PlayStation’s revenue for the...
April2021
Soapbox I Don't Think Sony's Obsession with PS5 Blockbusters Aligns with Reality
Sammy just isn't seeing it
The next three PlayStation 5 exclusives on Sony’s first-party docket are MLB The Show 21, Returnal, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – a baseball simulation, a bullet hell roguelike, and the long-awaited successor to Insomniac Games’ mascot platformer property. The previous three, in case you’re curious, were...
Soapbox My Colleagues Bet on How Far I'd Make It Through Final Fantasy VII Remake
Stephen recounts his time with Cloud and Co.
Note: This feature contains some spoilers for a very old game and a remake of that very old game. Any fans of Final Fantasy might want to stop reading at this point. That's right, the first sentence. Admission time: I never played Cloud Strife's seminal adventure on the original PlayStation, nor any...
March2021
Soapbox Why Must Assassin's Creed Valhalla Still Be So Glitchy?
Just let me be anonymous
I feel like my struggle to find a game to truly invest in for the first couple of months of 2021 is becoming fairly common knowledge. I'm set once Returnal launches, but I've been absent from our What Are You Playing This Weekend weekly Talking Point most of the time and I can't bring myself to replay games. I feel like I've...
Soapbox PS5 Has Turned Me Into a Total 60FPS Snob
PS5 master race
I've always been an advocate of the hallowed 60 frames-per-second. Even back on the PlayStation 3, when we had the excellent Killzone 2 running at a not-so-smooth 30 frames-per-second, I was desperate for that sweet 60. What I didn't realise at the time, was that 60fps wouldn't become the console norm for another decade. With the...
Soapbox PSVR's Crap Load of Cables Has Put Me Off
Spaghetti city
I love PlayStation VR, I really do. I’m very proud of how we covered the system on Push Square over the years; I’d like to think we were one of the best sources for virtual reality gaming at its peak. All of the excitement surrounding next-gen PSVR has made me want to dive back in and finish up the dozen or so titles I missed –...
Soapbox Sony Needs to Bang Down Valve's Door to Get Half-Life: Alyx on PS5's PSVR
Steam works
Sony surprised us all this week by revealing its next-gen PlayStation VR controllers. It mentioned in the PlayStation Blog post that they’re being sent out to development partners imminently, which is perhaps why it decided to unveil them – there’s always a chance they’ll leak once they arrive in studios, right? To be fai
Soapbox PGA Tour 2K21 Has Quietly Become One of PS4's Best Sports Games
Hole in one
2K Sports’ recent acquisition of HB Studios encouraged me to revisit PGA Tour 2K21 this week, a game which I liked a lot when I reviewed it last year but felt was still one iteration away from excellence. To be honest, I’ve been blown away by many of the improvements made, and while there are still obvious weak areas, I think the...
Soapbox Why Do You Replay Games?
Liam can't quite work out why
I've never, ever been one to replay games. The act isn't completely foreign to me — three immediate playthroughs of The Last of Us: Part II, I'm looking at you — but I'm almost always looking ahead to what's next after rolling credits. That is unless the Platinum Trophy is somewhat achievable, of course. I generally...
Soapbox How I Would Handle The Last of Us Factions
Liam makes his pitch
At some point over the next year, Naughty Dog is presumably going to finally unveil the multiplayer offering it has in the works. Supposedly too big and ambitious to ship with The Last of Us: Part II, expectations have understandably risen as Neil Druckmann and co keep us guessing as to what it might entail. A reveal during some...
Soapbox One Year Later, Call of Duty: Warzone Has Consumed Me
Liam reflects on 12 months of Battle Royale action
Looking back on the comments I made in my Hands On piece for Call of Duty: Warzone, which celebrates its one year anniversary today, is a strange experience. While I thought what Infinity Ward had to offer at the time was completely fine in its own right, I was concerned by its overt simplicity and...
Soapbox How Yakuza Proves Bigger Open Worlds Aren't Always Better
Size matters
Bigger is not always better – at least, that’s what I try to tell myself every time I hop in the shower. Alright, I’m probably lying to myself: after all, no one orders a single patty from Five Guys, do they? I do believe, however, that in the case of open world games, a smaller, denser environment is preferable to gigantic open...
Soapbox How I Hustled My Way Out of FIFA 21 Ultimate Team's Division 9
Born again winner
Since breaking my Madden NFL 21 duck earlier in the year, I’ve traded handegg for football, because I paid full-price for FIFA 21 at launch and I figured I should get my money’s worth. My relationship with EA Sports’ soccer simulation is a storied one: I lost countless lunchtimes to FIFA Football 2003 – the one with Roberto...
Criterion's first-person shooter turns 15
Criterion Games was absolutely on fire in the early noughties. Having made an incredible arcade racing series — the brilliant Burnout, of course — it decided to turn its hand to a totally new genre. This is something that you don't see too much of; usually, a studio finds its comfort zone and sticks to...
February2021
Soapbox The Real Problem with Sony's State of Play Livestreams
Sammy feels like the series lacks Sony's full weight
It was a coincidence that my colleague Liam Croft published an article about the state of, er, Sony’s State of Play livestreams on a week where th
Soapbox The State of Play Branding Seems Confused
Should we be excited for the next one?
I don't know if I should be looking forward to the next hypothetical State of Play livestream, and that's a problem. What was originally designed as an online platform for Sony to showcase upcoming PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 titles (in a very similar vein to a Nintendo Direct) has now morphed into...
Soapbox The Long, Painful Path to My First Madden NFL 21 Online Win
1-16
I like American football games (I’m even trying to collect every one ever made); I’m not very good at American football games. While I can generally hold my own against the computer, I’ve long endured a painful relationship online, getting my ass kicked at every opportunity. I have won matches in previous instalments, but nursing an 0-14...
Soapbox There's a Nintendo Direct Today, But I Wish We Had a State of Play to Look Forward To
Sammy's eyeing the news cycle elsewhere with envy
Don’t worry, I get it Nintendo fans: from what I understand, the House of Mario hasn’t hosted a proper, full-length livestream since September 2019. That’s a long time, and I can certainly appreciate why you may feel starved for news – I hope, for the sake of anyone with a Waluigi avatar on...
Soapbox We Need to Talk About FIFA 21 Ultimate Team's Unfathomably Crap Cosmetics
Own goal
Love it or loathe it, there’s unquestionably something cool about building a squad of superstars in FIFA 21’s uber-popular Ultimate Team mode. Sure, you’ll need to no-life the release in order to add the likes of Mbappe and Ronaldo to your roster, but even if you’re stuck with Raul Garcia and Andy Carroll upfront like this...
