John I love your writing most of the time but it’s like you’ve never walked past Ladbrokes. Gambling is a massive, massive drain on society. It provides nothing and takes everything.

I can see what you’re getting at, and it is a nuanced take, but the fact is the game is set up to get you hooked and then start paying money. That might come after 45 minutes, an hour, three hours- but the longer you play the more invested you will be, and the more invested you are the more likely you are to spend,…

It’s not even a hall! Perhaps just Fameplace™

You’ll need proof; I assume you’ve been live-streaming these shits on Twitch?

Mate, it’s legitimately weird. Just try getting your legs into that position. This poster only works if Sonic has jointed thighs.

Matt, big thanks for keeping it all going as long as you have - with a portfolio like yours I’m sure you’ll get snapped up tout suite. Speaking of which, is there anywhere other than Twitter we can keep up with you?

I’ve got a bunch of game ideas, and also an idea for something that is not a game, but requires 3D graphics. Who knows if I’ll do anything with it

Can anyone start a ‘What have you finished this week?’ thread? If so:

As I recall, all of the New Vegas DLCs, and particularly the last piece, have a problem with bullet sponges. Two of the four also have pretty dire stories, which is a shame. Old World Blues is the best of the lot.

2D physics-based platform game about going from left to right through disparate environments, punctuated by set-piece puzzles, and with a strong aesthetic; very similar. Far is much nicer than those games though, I thought Inside was just adolescent.

I finished Far: Lone Sails, which is both beautiful and slightly dull. It’s very similar to Limbo and Inside, but with the snark and pointless brutality replaced with wistful music and some forced heart-string tugging. I’m glad I played it, but I think it’d work better as a soundtrack and a screensaver.

I’d completely missed Batman: Arkham Knight when it first came out- I’d not been as enamoured of Arkham City as I had been Arkham Asylum, and the PC version got pulled from sale. But then the Steam Sale happened, and for ~£8 I thought it had to be worth a go. And it was! It’s excellent. I’ve just unlocked access to…

I have similar feelings about Hellblade. The animation and acting are great, the atmosphere is wonderful, but I feel making it into a game rather than a film was the wrong choice. 

I’ve been revisiting Metal Gear Solid V, and it’s a real treat. It’s such a shame that Konami didn’t give Kojima time to finish it properly, though who knows how much extra time that would have taken. Another six months? Another year? It’s one of the most wildly ambitious games ever created. The amount of movement…

Mate, go outside and enjoy the sunshine, and don’t worry about discussing the fictional wizards

Not sure about that- there was vast nerd rage when The Witcher 3 footage that was shown was prettier than the game turned out, so I think they want to avoid that. It’s annoying though. However, supposedly there’ll be more at Gamescom

I’ve been playing Mooncrash and loving it- definitely one of the most interesting takes on DLC there’s been in a long time. It’s not just a small campaign with all the cut bits from the main game, à la Wolfenstein: The Old Blood or Half Life 2: Episode 1, it’s not another bloody horde mode, and it’s got a story that…

I actually like that Mooncrash is something other than an extra level bolted onto Prey with slightly worse voice acting, as most DLC packages are. I also really like being forced to play outside my sneaky, non-violent comfort zone, and with a lot of the toys I never bothered with in the base game.

They’re going to have to work hard to top the scene in the first one that has Princess Diana sprinting through a minefield. I mean, talk about bad taste...

If it helps I’ve had the same thing with band names- both ‘Madam’ and ‘The Freebasing Freemasons’