Alex Donaldson (Page 4)

Review

SAVED BY THE FELL | Fire Emblem Engage review: brilliantly meaty strategy RPG combat meets a less compelling world

Following on from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Engage has equal capacity to delight and frustrate – for newcomers and veterans alike.

Jan. 17, 2023 Alex Donaldson

3 comments

Article

GOUGE AWAY | Marvel Snap is incredible, but its cash prices are incredibly stupid

One of 2022's breakout mobile games continues to impress, but its monetisation methods leave a lot to be desired.

Jan. 12, 2023 Alex Donaldson

Article

ALL ROADS TO CHROM | Fire Emblem Engage is Three Houses turned up to 11, for better or worse – preview

If you're concerned about the Persona-fication of Fire Emblem, you might want to temper your expectations for Engage.

Jan. 5, 2023 Alex Donaldson

1 comment

Article

PRIME EXAMPLE | The best gaming thing I experienced in the holidays? Sonic Prime

Turns out a new animated Sonic series is a great way to ring in the New Year.

Jan. 4, 2023 Alex Donaldson

News

BRICK-MAN | Latest Lego Ideas review eyes new Pac-Man and Zelda playsets

The latest Lego Ideas review has been revealed - and it includes a couple of video game icons that now have a chance to become real, retail Lego sets.

Jan. 3, 2023 Alex Donaldson

Guide

bear necessities | How to evolve Pawmi and Pawmo into Pawmot in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Here's the beary well-hidden way to get Pawmot in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Dec. 29, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

GOD-TIER | Best of 2022: Elden Ring, and Alex's other GOTY picks

Sometimes picking out a best game each year is a painful, difficult choice. Sometimes it’s easy. This year, it’s… sort of both? Let me explain.

Dec. 23, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Guide

ENDLESS CYCLE | Elden Ring New Game Plus explained: How NG+ works

New Game Plus is back in Elden Ring, letting you begin another journey into The Lands Between. Here's how it works.

Dec. 23, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

ALL HANDS ON DECK | Sony handhelds might be dead, but on its 18th birthday the promise of the PSP is as alive as ever

The PlayStation Portable and Vita dream might be over, but the Switch and the Steam Deck keep the flame alive.

Dec. 13, 2022 Alex Donaldson

2 comments

Article

JOYSTICK NOEL | Gaming gift guide: The best Christmas gifts for gamers that aren’t video games

Stuck for what to buy your gamer kids for Christmas in 2022? Need to get a present for your nerd spouse? We’ve got you covered.

Dec. 9, 2022 Dom Peppiatt

Review

THE WUTAI THAT BINDS | Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion review: One of the most impressive remasters ever, but still a PSP game at heart

With Final Fantasy 7 Remake reinvigorating the wider compilation, is this once-niche RPG spin-off ready for another shot at relevance?

Dec. 6, 2022 Alex Donaldson

5 comments

Guide

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Eevee evolutions: Where to find Eevee and how to evolve

Eevee returns in Scarlet & Violet, but it's one of the more elusive classic Pokemon to find - until your read this guide, anyway.

Nov. 25, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

WITH A REBEL YELL | Andor has made me want a low-key, guerrilla warfare Star Wars Rebellion strategy game

Imagine if the world of Andor was merged with the mechanics and setup of, say, XCOM2. It'd be perfect, right?

Nov. 24, 2022 Alex Donaldson

1 comment

Article

HOTROD COW | As the rebooted show shoots for international success, now is the time for a big-budget Doctor Who game

Now, more than ever, it's time we got a decent Dr Who game that plays up to the series' strengths.

Nov. 23, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Guide

BFF EM ALL | How to raise Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Friendship Level fast: Where to find the Friendship Checker

Here's how to befriend Pokemon quickly - and where to find the friendship checker to see where you stand.

Nov. 23, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Guide

TALL ORDER | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Gym Order, Team Star Base & Titan Order Walkthrough

This order walkthrough will help you decide the exact best sequence to tackle the Gyms, Bases, and Titan encounters in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

Nov. 22, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Guide

MY TYPE ON PAPER | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Type Chart: every type strength, weakness and resistance detailed

This Type Chart will help you to blast through battles in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet by exploiting opponent weaknesses.

Nov. 18, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

BUG TYPE | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s performance is truly awful – but if it’s really fun, how much does it matter?

When does a game's performance start to take away from the joy of playing it? For Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, it's a hard question to answer.

Nov. 18, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Review

ON THE VICTORY ROAD | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet review: a super-effective new vision – with painful performance woes

When Game Freak tries to wrap its head around developing on modern platforms, it still hurts itself in its confusion – despite the greatness of everything else.

Nov. 17, 2022 Alex Donaldson

1 comment

Article

RING IT BACK | Sonic Frontiers has Dreamcast-era jank and pop-in galore - but I can't stop playing it

Despite some horrible bad bits, there are some incredible good bits – but that's sort-of par for the course with Sonic at this point, isn't it?

Nov. 15, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

BUSINESS CLASS | Microsoft Flight Sim has doubled its players twice – and there's a plan to attract even more users

Microsoft Flight Sim just keeps attracting more players, and the devs know how to get more people on-board: with the ‘explosive’ growth of World Updates.

Nov. 15, 2022 Alex Donaldson

News

PELICAN-DO ATTITUDE | Microsoft Flight Sim boss confirms more crossover content like Halo's Pelican and Top Gun Maverick

Microsoft Flight Simulator boss Jorg Neumann talks about the future of Microsoft Flight Sim – and why deviating from reality is sometimes the best thing to do.

Nov. 14, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

FIRST PARTY POOPER | 2 years in, the Xbox Series X/S still lacks even one killer exclusive

After 24 months on the market, we're all still impressed by the Xbox Series hardware – but, frankly, that's not enough.

Nov. 10, 2022 Alex Donaldson

23 comments

Review

E PLEASE, CAROL | Thrustmaster eSwap X Pro review: a star premium pad for symmetrical controller lovers

The Thrustmaster eSwap X Pro is a great, quality product, propped-up by one feature that is massively unique.

Nov. 2, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Guide

Knowledge is Power | Pokemon Go Field Research quests: November 2022 missions and rewards list

Staying on top of Pokemon Go's Field Research missions is a must if you want to be the very best. Here's the quests for November 2022.

Nov. 2, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Guide

Persona 5 Royal confidant gift guide - which gifts to get to impress

The gifts that keep on giving

Oct. 21, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

Scarlet Feebas? | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet hands-on: Lessons from Legends & Returning Traditions make this a fascinating, revolutionary new entry

Also details on how co-op is handled in this new open-world adventure.

Oct. 21, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

CASTING A SHADOW | Persona 5 is still a masterpiece - and it’s a must-play for those newly able to get it on PC, Xbox, and Switch

Persona 5 Royal is not only really damn good - it’s a vastly important game to the current status of the Japanese RPG genre. Everyone should give it a try.

Oct. 21, 2022 Alex Donaldson

3 comments

Article

WEIRD FLEX, BUT OK | I dismissed Nvidia Reflex as for esports superstars - but now I don’t want to go back to life without it

Nvidia's input lag reducing technology might seem like it's most suited for esports wannabes, but it's more useful than you'd think.

Oct. 19, 2022 Alex Donaldson

1 comment

Article

BEAST OF BURDEN | Nvidia RTX 4090 review: a hair-raising new bar for PC graphics performance – with hefty costs attached

Nvidia’s latest flagship graphics card is an absolute monster, crushing 4K gaming, ray tracing, and frequently unable to even use its full power, held back by other elements of a PC build.

Oct. 14, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

I GOT NEXT | Street Fighter 6's battle hub is a brilliant attempt to digitize the arcade experience

Street Fighter 6's updated, upgraded lobby experience is a bold step forward – that takes cues from the past.

Oct. 12, 2022 Alex Donaldson

A very pretty, futuristic car in Cyberpunk 2077, rendered with ray-tracing enabled as it reflects in a puddle.

Article

FREE SAMPLES | Cyberpunk 2077 is a revelation with Nvidia’s new DLSS 3.0 technology

Nvidia’s newest DLSS update is an incremental step up on the previous generation, but that makes it no less mind-boggling in action.

Oct. 11, 2022 Alex Donaldson

1 comment

Review

HIT THE BRICKS | Lego Bricktales review: A near-perfect video game representation of joyous Lego creativity

Lego Bricktales carries the energy of the finest and most experimental Lego video games of the 90s – and it’s a wonderful low-key game of the year contender.

Oct. 11, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

ALIEN AUTOPSY | A decade on, XCOM: Enemy Unknown remains the best franchise reboot of all time

The 2012 reboot of XCOM is a decade old – and it's still the best gaming remake ever.

Oct. 9, 2022 Alex Donaldson

2 comments

Guide

Cyberpunk 2077 Cars & Motorcycles List | How to buy or unlock all vehicles

Absolute bangers.

Oct. 5, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

stick your neck out | 10 years on, Resident Evil 6’s giraffe fellatio remains unparalleled

If you know, you know. And if you don't, I'm sorry to ruin Resident Evil 6's box art for you.

Oct. 2, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

BLOCKY GRAPHICS | Lego’s Atari 2600 is a brilliant bit of weaponized nostalgia – and we need a Sega console next

Lego’s latest build aimed at older fans is designed to stoke the fandom and memories of 90s kids – and despite some superfluous inclusions, it’s a great set.

Sept. 30, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Review

HEAVEN AND HELL | The DioField Chronicle review: An understated, under-marketed strategy RPG romp that deserves better

The DioField Chronicle feels like it’s been sent to die as some mega-niche undertaking, but it’s nevertheless a pleasingly experimental tactical RPG adventure.

Sept. 27, 2022 Alex Donaldson

1 comment

Article

TRICKY BUSINESS | Star Fox Adventures is 20 years old today – and it’s still the last truly good Star Fox game

It’s hard not to think about how the excellent Star Fox Adventure was criticized as not ‘true’ Star Fox – only for the series to then have 20 years of disasters.

Sept. 23, 2022 Alex Donaldson

3 comments

Review

TREASURE TROVE | Return to Monkey Island review: a charming nostalgia-ridden musing on the ravages of time – and a worthy successor

The creator of the Monkey Island series returns to offer his vision of a third game – and it’s got more to say than its nostalgic trappings first suggest.

Sept. 22, 2022 Alex Donaldson

News

40 IS THE NEW 30 | Nvidia reveals the GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs - and they’ve beastly power levels

Nvidia is back with a new generation of graphics cards - plus new software features that aim to take games to the next level.

Sept. 20, 2022 Alex Donaldson

1 comment

Article

take a leak | The tale of ‘The Real Insider’ shows how facile and idiotic gamer leaker culture is

One of gaming's most idiotic recent controversies shines a light on a very ugly side of the video game industry.

Sept. 20, 2022 Alex Donaldson

5 comments

News

GEFORCE NEVER | EVGA falls out with Nvidia - and quits making Graphics Cards

GPU monolith Nvidia is going through a very public divorce with one of its key partners - and they just decided they’re out for good.

Sept. 16, 2022 Alex Donaldson

2 comments

Article

HOT TAKE | Twitter has bold plans to become the center of the gaming community - but first, it has lessons to learn

Twitter sees gaming as a central part of the platform’s appeal, and has a dedicated team to help its gaming community grow.

Sept. 16, 2022 Alex Donaldson

Article

ZACK ATTACK | Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion goes above and beyond as a remaster, but its PSP origins are plain to see

Square Enix’s remaster of the most important Final Fantasy 7 spin-off is one of the most impressive I’ve ever seen, though it’s still a PSP game at heart.

Sept. 16, 2022 Alex Donaldson

1 comment

Article

GO FOR BROKE | Street Fighter 6 just keeps getting better – hands on with Ken, Juri, Guile, and Kimberly

We’ve played around with another build of Street Fighter 6, trying out both Kimberly and beloved World Warrior Ken. And you know what? It still slaps.

Sept. 16, 2022 Alex Donaldson