For all the chaos we see on a seemingly daily basis in the games industry of 2026, good things are still happening. One of my favourite trends is the resurgence of what I like to call, using my own idiosyncratic taxonomy of the genre, the "storytelling RPG". This is a very distinctive type of game...

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of all SHIRO! Media Group contributors. The cost of modern day video game consoles and personal computers have skyrocketed…

These days, I feel like a lot of people determine that they're either into narrative-centric games or mechanics-centric games, and don't do much in the way of cross-pollination, even when the games themselves do so. I'm sure we all know at least one person who takes inexplicable pride in the fact that they skip all...

Endless driving zen

One of my favourite things in video games is when a game takes a very small, pretty mundane environment and renders it in a ridiculous level of detail. I'm not generally a "graphics person", but if you give me a game in which I can poke around a tiny, convincingly rendered house in extreme levels...

YouTube video by ThisIsPete

I forgot to write something on here yesterday! In my defence, I wrote nearly 4,000 words on Ys VIII over on MoeGamer so I think you can probably cut me a bit of slack. I'm still going to take this post to "catch up" though. I really enjoyed Ys VIII overall. It still feels a...

YouTube video by ThisIsPete

Yes, I know I'm a bit late, given that I covered the rest of the Ys series just before Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana first released (ten years ago at the time of writing), and then promptly... did not cover Ys VIII. But here we are now. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana first released in...

One of the most complex parts of human interactions that we all have to independently learn to navigate is the politics and etiquette of farting. We all do it -- yes, even you -- but everyone, eventually, comes to their own conclusions as to how, when and why they let the bum gas fly. I...

You saw me carrying our baby and food. There was more happening in our family that night.

The deluge of amazing games coming out in the latter half of this year has started. I've already noted that I've been playing the excellent Nighthawks from Wadjet Eye Games, and that is very much occupying my immediate attention, but also on my radar for the immediate-ish future are Silent Hill Townfall and Ace Combat...

I think one of the most sobering parts of Becoming An Adult is coming to the unfortunate realisation that some people are just Bad People -- and that, more often than not, they will get away with being Bad People, through some combination of money, power, influence and/or privilege. I'm not speaking about anyone specific...

One of the most irritating new developments in the world of generative AI is the use of "agents" to spam you. This can take numerous forms; earlier today, Luke Plunkett of Aftermath shared an AI "pitch" he had received via email, Frank Cifaldi of the Video Game History Foundation shared something similar, and of late...

Yesterday's post was out of frustration, so it's only fair that I make today's post one of genuine enthusiasm. Today marks the release of Nighthawks, a new game from The Curiosity Engine and Wadjet Eye Games, and I think you should buy it because it is good. Positive enough for you? I should probably add...

The secret is out. Vampires have been exposed to the world… and you’re one of them. Seize the night as a modern monster, stepping out of the shadows to build a thriving nightclub empire through fear, ...