Unfortunately, getting these big publishers and developers to go back to straightforward microtransactions (you see a thing you want and you buy just that thing) is going to be difficult after they’ve been making money hand over fist with loot boxes. The ESRB has the power to step in and slap an Adults Only rating on…

I’ve never been into gambling in any form (I don’t even buy lottery tickets or scratch-offs), and even I was sucked in by loot boxes. In my case, it was Rocket League’s crates (which are supposedly all cosmetic, though I do find the crate-exclusive vehicles questionable). Thankfully, I didn’t spend enough to put…

I haven’t even gotten into the game yet despite having owned the base game and the season pass on Xbox One for a while, but I think I’ll finally get into it when I can upgrade to the Royal Edition on the 6th. I anticipate that the Royal Edition upgrade will cost $10 or $15. Not worth the extra $35 or $40 for the PC…

I consider the Wii U version of Human Revolution the definitive version for those reasons — and for menu navigation on the GamePad screen.

Whether they intended it this way or not, I think the people behind Steam have done something significant to combat piracy. The introduction of refunds has made it so that the “I want to try it before I buy it” excuse no longer applies. You can buy a game and get a refund on that game if you don’t like it (as long as…

Two of the things that have been holding back digital distribution are slow/capped internet service and built-in hard drives that are too small.

Marcus Richardson, an employee at New York used games store 8 Bit And Up, said he had not ever seen a Wii U pass through his shop until last week. The console’s owner sold it to make rent after quitting his job, he said. 

Anthem can be amazing even with this delay, but microtransactions will have to be either completely left behind or transformed into a cosmetics-only system that allows you to buy exactly the item you want every time. No loot boxes. No random chances.

Considering how anti-consumer they were as they geared up for this generation (24-hour online check-in for games and forcing the largely unwanted and very expensive Kinect down Xbox fans’ throats), they’ve made quite the turnaround. They now offer a robust Xbox 360 backward compatibility catalog, a truly great service…

Crazy Taxi is going to be free next month for Xbox Live Gold subscribers.

I’m still using the i5 4690k/GTX 970 PC I bought back in 2015 for $960. Several months ago, I found an open box deal on 16 GB of PNY Anarchy DDR3 RAM for $59, so I got lucky on that upgrade. I think my rig is fine for now. It can run Assassin’s Creed: Origins at what feels like a pretty solid 30 fps at Ultra settings…

You and me both. This new and improved Game Pass isn’t appealing to me because Microsoft’s 2018 lineup isn’t appealing to me.

I think you have to keep in mind where Microsoft was as they approached this console generation back in 2013. They made some BAD decisions early on that alienated even longtime fans of theirs (including me). But they reversed course on those decisions and garnered some much-needed consumer goodwill by introducing…

I’m really not familiar with their PR nightmare. I’ve only seen a headline here and there about their troubles.

QUOTE | “You want to talk homophobia? We work with Ellen Page who is fighting for LGBT rights. You want to talk racism? We are working with Jesse Williams on civil rights in the USA. Judge my work.” - Quantic Dream’s David Cage defends himself against former employees who allege he has overseen a toxic studio culture…

Backward compatibility is one of the reasons the Xbox One is one of my favorite consoles of all time. I never played Red Dead Redemption but wanted to before the sequel comes out. So when it went on sale for cheap during one of Microsoft’s digital Xbox game sale events, I bought it (along with Undead Nightmare). So…

Something else I recommend doing in Mass Effect: Andromeda is trying to explore outside those shimmering boundaries on the planets you visit. Believe it or not, the rendered “edge” of Kadara can be surprisingly beautiful.

JASON

Just my opinion, but I think Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade deserves consideration. It’s unlike many other anime films in that it favors gritty realism throughout — from the very human-looking character designs to the story about a budding romance in the shadow of a militaristic government. Well worth a look. https://www.am…

I have the regular edition of Destiny 2 for Xbox One. I had considered trying to get on board for the long haul; but the more I hear about the way Bungie is treating players, the less I want to stick around. This video really put it over the top for me: