Stephan’s E3 2018 Highlights

My favourite week of the year is over, and now it’s time to discuss.

Stephan’s E3 2018 Predictions

Here it is, my favourite week of the year: E3! The Electronic Entertainment Expo, where the world’s video game industry comes together in Los Angeles, California for a week of announcements, previews, teasers, awkward programmers talking to auditoriums full of people, awkward celebrity hosts trying to sound excited about games… it’s a magical time.

David Cage’s Quantic Dream Accused of Toxic Studio Culture

Quantic Dream has been accused by about fifteen current and former employees of cultivating a toxic and abusive studio culture.

Stephan’s Most Anticipated Games of 2018

Last year was monumental for games with stellar releases from both indie and AAA studios leading to so many interesting experiences and stories I couldn’t even play half of them. Fortunately (unfortunately?), developers are continuing full steam ahead into 2018 with many incredible releases I cannot wait to buy and never have time to play!

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Who Won E3 2017?

Who won E3 2017? This was the question posed to me by my roommate. It’s a question that all the Gamers™ ask around this time of year as the conferences become old news and the convention wraps up. There’s an intense desire to compare the different publishers, aligning ourselves with the team we want to win. The team that made the biggest noises, had the most retweets and showed the best CG trailers. Okay, and maybe some genuinely interesting gameplay trailers. But it’s a desire I never really got. If you ask me who won at the end of E3 2017 I would argue I did. Why? Because there’s dozens of new awesome, beautiful, scary, intriguing and compelling video games coming out in the next year that I can’t wait to play.

E3 2017 Predictions

This is my favourite time of the year. The entire video game industry is gathering in LA this week to announce new games, play new games, get excited about and disappointed about new games… It’s the stuff I live for. I like to watch all the conferences live and of course, make some predictions. Here’s what I got, thanks for reading!

Drawn to Death Review

Drawn to Death is a third-person shooter combined with a brawler arena multiplayer released for PS4 on April 4th, 2017. It was developed by David Jaffe’s studio The Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency (@OfficialBartlet) and it was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. For more info check out the game’s site. Screenshots taken by myself.

Right out of the gate, Drawn to Death is an assault on your senses. Alternative rock blasts in your ears as a mess of lines and scratched out pages fill your screen. It’s loud, vulgar, angry and sometimes a little bit fun- once you get past being called a “dick” for the 100th time. With a broad range of characters, guns, modes and maps it might be worth wading through the crudeness to play. That said, there’s a lot to push past to enjoy Drawn to Death and I pushed past it so you might not have to.

ABZÛ Review

ABZÛ is an adventure game released for the PS4 and PC on August 2nd, 2016. It was developed by @GiantSquidology and published by @505_Games. For more info check out ABZÛ’s site. Screenshots taken by myself.

I like to take notes while I play a game for review. When I pulled myself away from my monitor after beating ABZÛ, all in one sitting, I went over my notes and noticed I had written the same word several times throughout my list: gorgeous. And if you take one thing away from this review let it be that ABZÛ is an indisputably gorgeous game. In a year of gorgeous indie games like Inside and Firewatch, we’re spoiled yet again by an indie title with visuals that put AAA games to shame.

PSX 2016 Showcase Recap

PlayStation held its 3rd annual PlayStation Showcase at its fan convention, the PlayStation Experience, in Anaheim this past weekend. For those who don’t know the Showcase is a presentation similar to PlayStation’s E3 conference where they reveal new games and talk about all the latest and greatest in video games. This year’s Showcase was one of the best video game presentations I’ve ever seen. With a strong open, a steady stream of awesome announcements and trailers carried by the fan’s unbridled enthusiasm and a finale that had me screaming while jumping up and down, this Showcase was one I’ll never forget. So, here’s everything announced at the 2016 PSX Showcase!

Best Studios & Publishers on Snapchat

Cover art used pixel controllers by Amaniness.

Snapchat is a marvellous app. Letting friends and family share pictures and videos of what’s going on then and there in their lives is why it appeals to so many. But Snapchat has been adopted by several big name video game studios and publishers in recent months. These studios share behind the scenes looks at their team, their games and their offices. Fans of video games love learning about the people who make them and some fans are fascinated and enamoured with the behind-the-scenes of game design and development. They want to know the people and want to see the work that goes into their favourite titles. Snapchat provides an excellent opportunity to get that perspective into games that can’t be found anywhere else. So here are some of the best studios and publishers to follow on Snapchat!