The Silent Protagonists

With the next instalment in the Shin Megami Tensei series, developer Atlus had a mountain of a task ahead of them. Persona 5 is the long-anticipated sequel of 2012’s Persona 4 Golden , which was released to critical acclaim on the PS Vita, thanks to a HD makeover of the PS2 version and the addition of new story elements and characters. Persona 4 Golden is one of my very favourite games of all time, so after a 6-year development cycle spanning 2 console generations I was excited to see what crazy adventure was planned for the series. Set in modern-day Tokyo, Persona 5 tells a tale of teenage defiance and adult corruption. You play as a silent protagonist who has recently transferred to the city after being falsely accused of a crime. Therein you are met by your new carer, Sojiro, and take residence in the attic above his quiet, yet charming café LeBlanc. Once we’ve been formally introduced to the exceptionally well recreated city and some of the kooky characters tha...

*If the title didn't make it obvious, there will be spoilers in this post* After pouring through the vast open world of Rockstar's recent outing Red Dead Redemption II  over the Christmas break , it's hard to recall the last time I was this conflicted over a game's quality. Red Dead Redemption II  released this past September to a sea of perfect scores from review outlets; and while the game's immense attention to detail and drop dead gorgeous visuals are a sight to behold, I constantly find myself butting heads with critics over the amount of praise the end product should receive. As 'hot takes' go, my dislike for the first 'Red Dead' game is a big one. Reviewers and players across the world hailed the romp across New Austin to be one of the very best video games of all time, yet I wore it on my sleeve that Red Dead Redemption simply was not good enough compared to other open world games that came before it. The controls were janky, the ...

What's up? I hope you had a good Christmas and a wonderful new year! Now that the festive season has come to a close, I'm seeing a myriad of 'Top 10' posts all over social media giving praise to all the games, TV shows, movies and albums that came out this year. Not unlike 2017 this past year was, in my opinion, one of the best on record in the  realm of video games, so I wanted to use this platform by documenting my favourite games of this year, in a classic, unimaginative top 10 list. Now it must be apparent by now that I am in fact not IGN or Gamespot. Despite this shocking revelation bringing some obvious shortcomings, this also means that I don't have to try and be objective with this list. Instead, the games presented here are the games I enjoyed the most this year, and no matter how silly some of the picks are, I make precisely zero apologies for this list, so here we go. 10. Octopath Traveler With numerous excellent games releasing in 2018, I fe...

In the realm of video games, nostalgia is often the most difficult enemy to overcome. Since it's release in 2004, the movie tie-in game to  Spider-Man 2  stole the hearts of comic fans by delivering a sandbox adventure unlike anything we've ever seen from Marvel comics. However, Insomniac Games, creators of the exceptional  Ratchet and Clank  series and the criminally underrated  Sunset Overdrive,  have burst into the castle, hoisted the veteran web slinging game from it's throne, and taken the crown for it's own by crafting a game of cinematic and gameplay excellence. DC and Rocksteady better watch out, Marvel have entered the video game space, and they're here to stay. With Uncle Ben's fateful words etched into our brains thanks to decades of comics featuring the web slinger (something about power and responsibility?), we once again enter the world of comics' favourite arachnid, this time brought to us by the guys and gals over at Insomniac. Ann...

E3 is my favourite time of year. Every June, gamers across the world unite under the universal banner of hype as we eagerly await announcements from some of our very favourite game publishers. Those of us who aren't attending the event at the Los Angeles Convention Center will most likely be glued to their TV's for 3 days straight as heavy-hitting companies take to the stage to show off their latest titles. Naturally, the E3 season would not be complete without the influx of media and entertainment sources delivering their annual 'E3 predictions' to add to the anticipation. With that in mind, and based on my gaming preferences, here are some of my predictions heading into the 24th Electronic Entertainment Expo for Nintendo, Sony and third party publishers. Sony Ready at Dawn introduce a new IP Despite Ready at Dawn's 2015 outing The Order: 1886 concluding on somewhat of a cliffhanger, I can't help but think that the game's lukewarm critical rec...

Greetings travellers! Spoiler alert: I play a lot of video games. If my head isn't firmly buried in boring university books, you'll find me at the helm of a tatty Dualshock 4 binging the Borderlands games for the millionth time while buried in a sea of Doritos and Dr Pepper. Nathan Drake, Mario, Kratos, Joel and Ellie, Handsome Jack, Zachary Comstock and Lara Croft are just a few characters who have left a lasting impression on me over the years, and to be presented with the artistry that is weaved into the DNA of each incredible gaming franchise is something I do not take for granted. I am thoroughly proud to be a part of the process, taking the role of the trusty consumer. I also love writing, as can be apparent by my ridiculous ramblings over on the For Zod and Liberty blog. While I've dipped my toe in the world of virtual entertainment previously, I feel as though video games have such a huge influence on the way I consume media that I wanted to give them ...