Microsoft

Traditionally, the launch of a new generation of console has been marked with a succinct transitional period, with companies swiftly shifting their efforts from legacy hardware to shiny, new hardware. But the launch of the ...

Many franchises feel the pangs of stagnancy by their fourth iteration. After a trio of titles that define, then gradually refine a series, the fourth game often exhibits a divisive tension between prudent evolution and ...

Robert’s Take: Across Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s four novels and fifty-six short stories, Baker Street’s distinguished detective imparts an essential axiom: details are imperative, but if you don’t take a step back, it’s easy to ...

In retrospect, 2013’s Disney Infinity proved to be a surprisingly incongruous product. While the Play Set mode was elevated by the inclusion of cherished characters from the Disney and Pixar catalogs, the actual action was ...

While it’s not unusual for a game franchise to sidestep stagnation by switching genres, 2012’s Persona 4 Arena was a truly curious crossover. With its source material exhibiting the resonant characterization and rich storytelling that’s ...

Robert’s Take: I put a chicken pot pie in the oven, and boot up DG2: Defense Grid 2 to help pass the hour-long cooking time. Within seconds of navigating through the slick, StarCraft II-esque menu ...

Bungie design lead Jaime Griesemer once famously remarked that the secret to Halo’s success was rooted in its half-minute combat loop. At its foundation, each encounter flung players into a fastidiously crafted thirty-second fracas, where ...

Much like the franchise’s unremitting cavalcade of enemies, Omega Force’s Warrior series has grown increasingly prolific, showing no signposts of surrender. Following Dynasty Warriors 2’s release in 2000, the franchise has forked into a variety ...

Since Pinball FX 2 first launched in 2010, the franchise has earned a fervent legion of fans thanks to its technical prowess. While eschewing a recreation of real-world machines, the series offered a mounting roster ...

Not long ago, the shooter was one of the most visceral and engaging genres around, consistently delivering frantic firefights that outmatched the best summer blockbusters. But over time, those once-invigorating action sequences began to lose ...