Ains

07

Mar

By Ains

Articles, Latest News

Checking in on the Halo Infinite Ranked / Competitive Experience

About three and a half months ago, I wrote this article focusing on some of the frustrating aspects of the Halo Ranked experience. Specifically, I focused on the Ranked Arena playlist which, if you play Halo Infinite, you are aware is identical to the settings of the Halo Championship Series.…

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14

Feb

By Ains

Latest News

PlayStation Fiscal Results and Multi-Platform Commentary

It's that time again. This morning Sony shared its fiscal results and with it some significant updates on the state of their Games & Network Services segment (IE PlayStation). The results are representative of the final quarter of 2023 which equates to the 3rd fiscal quarter of 2023 for Sony.…

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08

Feb

By Ains

Articles, Latest News

Opinion : Offering Perspective on Xbox’s Potential Shift in Strategy

I haven’t written about Xbox in a while. While part of the reason is due to my busy personal life, the primary reason is that Xbox has been relatively quiet recently. By that I mean: as they transitioned to the Series X/S generation and introduced xCloud while attempting to leave…

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11

Jan

By Ains

Latest News, Reviews

Review : Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown : Fit for a King

Prince of Persia and I have a connection. Back in the days when computers were rare in schools and children would fight over who got to play on them, the original Prince of Persia was one that was often loaded up via floppy disc. Of course, we had no idea…

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28

Nov

By Ains

Articles, Latest News

Addressing Core Issues with the Halo Infinite Ranked Experience

If you have followed me for more than a few hours, you know I love Halo. It has been my favorite franchise since C.E., and I've spent more time than I'd likely even want to know playing it through the years. From endless split-screen hollering with friends to competitive LAN…

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14

Nov

By Ains

Latest News

Halo Infinite Introduces New Operation and Nostalgic Halo 3 Playlist

Today's update for Halo Infinite introduces the next Operation, new unlockables, a Halo 3-themed playlist, and more. Let's break it down! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCrWlAfWFSM "Combined Arms" is the title of the new Operation and features the following: Free, 20-tier battle pass that includes new cosmetics, emblems, and more. The Operation will run…

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13

Nov

By Ains

Latest News

The Game Awards Full List of Nominations

The Game Awards return on December 7th and, along with several random mentions of Hideo Kojima and repeated commercials for applications you've never heard of, there will some awards handed out too! Of course I'm joking as The Game Awards has grown into the largest annual event in gaming with…

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03

Nov

By Ains

Latest News, Reviews

Review : The Invincible : Exploration and Desperation

The Invincible is a classic, science-fiction novel from Polish author Stanislaw Lem that was published in 1964. As the foundation for its new game, developer Starward Industries and publisher 11-bit Studios adapted the core of the novel to create a new, first-person narrative adventure. With its mysterious plot and retro-future…

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04

Oct

By Ains

Reviews

Review : Forza Motorsport : Stiff Chassis

Gran Turismo. When it released in 1997 on the original PlayStation, it changed the entire concept of what racing games could be. Gran Turismo 2, in 1999, blew the doors off, and, by the early 2000s, the franchise was known as the definitive racing game on the market. With Xbox…

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22

Sep

By Ains

Latest News, Reviews

Review : Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty : True Spies

In late 2020 I reviewed Cyberpunk 2077 at launch. As I've said many times since, I'm not going to rehash the issues and debate from that time. I'll simply say that I put over 130 hours into the game with very few issues. And if you couldn't tell by the…

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15

Sep

By Ains

Latest News, Reviews

Review : The Crew Motorfest : Beyond the Horizon

The Crew is a Ubisoft franchise that began nearly a decade ago,  yet it has never made a lasting impression on me, personally. While I enjoy racers in all forms, The Crew left a lot to be desired, and The Crew 2, while a large step forward, simply didn't have…

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30

Jun

By Ains

Articles

For Xbox, the Future Has Only Just Begun

Early this year I began to make plans for E3, excited at the prospect of the in-person gaming event returning regardless of its final form. My plans and dates were finalized, and I was looking forward to catching up with so many of my peers that I hadn't seen in…

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30

May

By Ains

Reviews

Review : Diablo 4 : Glorious Hell

Diablo is a franchise that holds a lot of meaning to me. Back in 1997, when the original Diablo launched, I had just secured a monster Compaq home computer powered by a 166mhz Pentium processor, and I was exploring all that PC gaming had to offer. Having grown up playing…

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11

May

By Ains

Latest News

Diablo 4 Server Slam : Everything You Need to Know

The final Diablo 4 beta, titled the Server Slam, is ready to descend upon us. Below, we provide all the details you need to send the demons back to hell this weekend! Pre-Load and Go-Live Times The Server Slam is now available to pre-load on all platforms. On PC you'll…

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01

May

By Ains

Reviews

Review : Redfall : Lacking Bite

Arkane Studios represents two unique development houses under Bethesda's (and Xbox's) umbrella. Arkane Lyon developed Dishonored and Deathloop primarily, while Arkane Austin most recently developed Prey (2017). While they naturally share resources to some degree, they tend to work on games independently. I call this out as I personally believe…

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