Gaming | Feeds@mReotEch.com

Black Lives Matter meets Animal Crossing: how protesters take their activism into video games

In the Covid-19 age, protestors are finding novel ways to express themselves, from BLM rallies in The Sims to Hong Kong protests in Animal CrossingAs street protests against anti-black racism erupted across the globe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons play...

7 Aug 2020

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout review – raucous, ridiculous fun

PC (version tested), PS4; Mediatonic/Devolver DigitalThis silly multiplayer online game is like a Teletubbies-style athletics tournament, and is a good entry point for the battle royale curiousFortnite has a lot to answer for. It wasn’t the first battl...

5 Aug 2020

Paper Mario: The Origami King review – a hilarious postmodern delight

Nintendo Switch; NintendoA sharp script and self-aware humour makes this papercraft game a joy, give or take tricky battle mechanicsIn the long, indoorsy days of late-stage lockdown, a summer Paper Mario release promises – and delivers – a bright techn...

4 Aug 2020

John Boyne accidentally includes Zelda video game monsters in novel

Novelist says details from careless Google search are ‘quite funny’ and he will leave his book as is after reader spots Octoroks and Lizalfos in his new bookJohn Boyne, the award-winning author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, has acknowledged that a...

3 Aug 2020

Carrion review – flesh-eating fun

(Phobia Game Studio/Devolver; Switch, PC and Xbox One)Inspired by a 1950s sci-fi horror movie, Carrion turns you into a malign marauding blob, swallowing scientists wholeCarrion borrows the premise of Irvin Yeaworth’s 1958 science fiction horror film T...

1 Aug 2020

Microsoft’s Flight Simulator is a ticket to explore the world again

With its stunningly realistic visuals and cutting-edge use of geographic and weather data, this flight sim offers a virtual chance to travel freely once moreFor a few seconds, it seems real. A Cessna 172 Skyhawk flying low over a rural landscape dotted...

30 Jul 2020

Röki review – Scandinavian fairytale with a razor-sharp edge

Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac; Polygon Treehouse/United LabelA girl must rescue her brother from the clutches of a mythical beast in this strikingly designed, emotionally poignant adventureThis impressively rich point-and-click adventure game from the Briti...

29 Jul 2020

Beyond Fortnite: seven online shooting games for grown-ups

Fed up of brightly-coloured shootouts against teenagers dressed as bananas? These games will test your teamwork, planning and accuracy in tense, real-world scenariosTwo years after its release, Fortnite still dominates the online gaming space, sucking ...

29 Jul 2020

Xbox Series X games no longer defined by technology, says Microsoft

The head of Xbox Studios says the machine removes the need to think about technical constraints – and discusses controversial Halo: Infinite and Fable demosThe era of video game design being defined by technology is over, according to Microsoft. Two ho...

27 Jul 2020

Beyond a Steel Sky review – the makings of a modern classic

(Revolution Software; PC, iOS)Glitches aside, this sequel to Beneath a Steel Sky, with art direction by Watchmen’s Dave Gibbons, is another absorbing journey into Union CityIn Beyond a Steel Sky, the citizens of the utopian Union City win and lose poin...

25 Jul 2020

Xbox Series X games showcase: Halo: Infinite, Fable and more – as it happened

In a packed hour of trailers, Microsoft revealed the Halo: Infinite campaign, plus the next Forza Motorsport and a new Fable 6.27pm BST Here’s a summary of what was shown tonight for the Xbox One X: 6.13pm BST Thank you for watching with us! Next stop:...

23 Jul 2020

US army retreats from Twitch as recruitment drive backfires

Withdrawal follows criticism over alleged use of game streaming site to attract recruitsThe US army has retreated from Twitch after a series of guerrilla actions by critics rendered its military recruitment drive untenable, and potentially unlawful.Bot...

23 Jul 2020

Superhot: Mind Control Delete review – a stylish John Wick-style shooter

PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One; Superhot TeamThis time-bending game offers little in the way of plot but compensates with thrillingly meditative actionTaking place in a computer simulation where the world is carved from alabaster and your opponents made of ora...

23 Jul 2020

Creaks review – a darkly surreal puzzle game

PC (version tested) PS4, Switch, Xbox, Apple Arcade; Amanita Design The Czech studio best known for point-and-click adventures Samorost and Machinarium brings its idiosyncratic genius to the puzzle platformerIn the Kafkaesque opening to Creaks, a young...

22 Jul 2020

Is the video games industry finally reckoning with sexism?

More stories of harassment, abuse and bullying in the industry have led to some high-profile departures. Women in gaming talk about toxic work and why it’s time for radical changeOver the last two years, in a protracted and devastating #MeToo movement ...

22 Jul 2020

Playing video games doesn’t lead to violent behaviour, study shows

Analysis of 28 global studies dating back to 2008 found a minuscule positive correlation Video games do not lead to violence or aggression, according to a reanalysis of data gathered from more than 21,000 young people around the world.The researchers, ...

21 Jul 2020

Before I Forget review: compassionate game about living with dementia

(3-Fold Games, Humble Games)Mystery and melancholy combine in this affecting exploration game in which you navigate through a life unravellingYou wake up in a handsome apartment, sparsely furnished, the walls and tables covered in Post-it notes. Each o...

18 Jul 2020

The 25 greatest video game consoles – ranked!

On the threshold of a new console generation with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, here are the industry’s most influential and impactful machines over 50 years of gamingThe second true 32-bit machine after the FM Towns Marty, the 3DO was available...

16 Jul 2020

Ghost of Tsushima review – Kurosawa-inspired samurai showdowns

PS4; Sucker Punch/Sony Visually rich design brings cinematic scope to this historical action game, but when sword-fighting brings diminishing rewards, console yourself with a haikuCreated by devoted admirers of Japanese samurai cinema at Sucker Punch P...

14 Jul 2020

Ready viewer one: from God of War to Red Dead, the games that deserve a TV show

HBO is developing a series of The Last of Us, EA has a Sims reality show, but which other video games could work on the small screenThis is a wonderful time to be a person who prefers watching video games to playing them. The Sonic the Hedgehog movie i...

13 Jul 2020

Ubisoft sexual harassment investigation claims three more executives

Chief executive slams ‘toxic behaviours’ as unacceptable after employees denounce predatory conduct, leading to resignationsThe second most powerful executive at French gaming company Ubisoft is among more senior staff to have left the firm as it pursu...

12 Jul 2020

Wildfire review: hide-and-seek in a medieval village of the damned

(Sneaky Bastards/Humble Games; PC)Fire is your friend as you leap through this exhilarating game rescuing prisoners tied to stakesEvasion is fundamental to human play: hide-and-seek is one of the first games every child learns, a hangover, perhaps, fro...

11 Jul 2020

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town review – absorbing rural rhythms

Nintendo Switch, PC; Marvelous/XseedIn a now-crowded field, this reboot of the noughties farm game retains the original’s gentle dramas and nuanced characterisationFriends of Mineral Town was originally a Harvest Moon game on the Game Boy Advance in 20...

8 Jul 2020

Final Fantasy VII Remake’s creators on updating one of the world’s most-loved games

Producer Yoshinori Kitase and co-director Naoki Hamaguchi describe the responsibilities and opportunities of recreating a stone-cold classicSquare Enix’s modern transformation of the 1997 classic Final Fantasy VII had players marvelling earlier this ye...

6 Jul 2020

Through the Darkest of Times review – join the anti-Nazi resistance

(Paintbucket Games/HandyGames; PC, Mac, iOS, Android)This captivating game, in which you coordinate a group of anti-Nazi activists in 1930s Berlin, is an essential reminder of how fascism takes root and growsThe full and final exposure of atrocities pe...

4 Jul 2020

‘The pinnacle of storytelling’: reader reviews of The Last of Us Part II

‘A phenomenal follow-up’ or ‘a boring slog’? Guardian readers have their say about the hit video games sequelWarning: spoilers aheadBeyond being one of the most visually and technically stunning games, the story forces the player to face the consequenc...

3 Jul 2020

Signs of the Sojourner review – playing cards in faraway places

PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch; Echodog GamesNavigating a world of wonder, an intrepid trader encounters a succession of strangers in this engaging narrative card gameCard games typically pit players against each other. Signs of the Sojourner is more like ma...

2 Jul 2020

Pokémon Go creator joins Punchdrunk theatre for interactive venture

Immersive theatre company and augmented-reality game developer Niantic team up to explore ideas that fuse ‘physical and digital worlds’Immersive theatre company Punchdrunk, best known for its Macbeth production Sleep No More, and augmented-reality game...

30 Jun 2020

As a kid I loved Pro Evolution Soccer 5 – now it’s won me a new comedy audience …

My standup career stalled when the pandemic arrived. But I get my kicks as a football manager on Twitch – and giving each player a storylineI began 2020 full of optimism, excited about returning to the Edinburgh fringe in August with a new show and fee...

30 Jun 2020

The Last of Us Part II: the blockbuster game breaking LGBTQ+ barriers

The bestselling sequel features a gay central character, challenging the last taboo for representation in gaming A withdrawn-looking 19-year-old leans against the bar in a rustic barn decorated with fairy lights, watching other people dance, taking ner...

27 Jun 2020

Fifa v PES: the history of gaming’s greatest rivalry

The football games’ 25-year turf war has been an exciting match. But will the next generation of consoles be the final whistle for PES?Earlier this year, Barcelona’s Sergi Roberto was due to compete in a charity Fifa 20 tournament, which ultimately rai...

26 Jun 2020

The Almost Gone review – dreamlike puzzles unlock a world of dark unease

PC, Mac, smartphones, Nintendo Switch; Happy VolcanoSet in a strange limbo, this game offers a rich range of visual brain-teasers that are not always matched by its storytellingA puzzle-box game along the lines of Monument Valley or The Room, The Almos...

25 Jun 2020

The Last of Us Part 2 is a horror game and that’s why it hurts

Its bloody tragedies have outraged some players but this sequel draws unashamedly on heritage horror films. (Contains spoilers)• This article contains story details from throughout the game.It’s the sound effects that really get to you. The strangulate...

24 Jun 2020

Valorant review – mind games and strategy meet competitive shooting

PC; Riot GamesThis deeply tactical shooter from the brains behind League of Legends is Fortnite’s latest challengerIf you want more than fleeting gratification from a multiplayer game, look no further than this deeply tactical competitive shooter from ...

20 Jun 2020

PlayStation 5 v Xbox Series X: how will the rival consoles compare?

With Sony and Microsoft about to embark on the first out-and-out console war for years, we break down how they weigh upLast week, in a livestream watched by millions, Sony revealed the first games coming to its PlayStation 5 console. Due out this winte...

19 Jun 2020

Little Orpheus review – madcap adventure to the centre of the Earth

It’s a bit fiddly on your phone, but guiding Soviet cosmonaut Ivan through lush jungles and forgotten cities is still a lot of funMac, iPhone, iPad; The Chinese Room/Sumo DigitalFollowing a diminutive cosmonaut on an unexpected journey to the centre of...

18 Jun 2020

PlayStation 5: exclusive games ‘more important than ever’, says Sony

Developer says releases including Horizon: Forbidden West and Marvel’s Spider-Man will be key to demonstrating the system’s capabilitiesHappily for anyone who struggles to summon much interest in raw tech specs, last week’s PlayStation 5 broadcast was ...

16 Jun 2020