David Jenkins

Marvel’s Wolverine is presented as a linear, story-focused PlayStation 5 action game from Insomniac Games, with accessible combat, strong visuals and a modernized beat-’em-up feel. The preview argues that online criticism about limited interactivity and combat fluidity is overstated, while acknowledging shallow progression, dull optional challenges and a lengthy, old-fashioned Proto-Sentinel boss battle. Co-director Mike Daly explains that the design prioritizes making players feel like Wolverine over offering open-world exploration, elaborate stealth systems or complex skill trees, and says the game’s character-driven focus means it will not appeal to everyone. The interview also covers the game’s grounded-but-fantastical tone, the selection of Wolverine as Insomniac’s next Marvel property and the studio’s approach to producing multiple PS5 games efficiently.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave retains the series’ grid-based, turn-based combat but introduces a surprising science-fiction prologue involving laser weapons, artificial beings and crashed spaceships, alongside questions about religion and faith. The game follows four protagonists whose stories can be explored in parallel, combining a Three Houses-style structure with an open capital city, tournaments, sidequests, recruitment systems and dungeon-based battles. Although its many mechanics, inconsistent tone, weak dialogue and shallow characterisation can be overwhelming, the preview finds the combat fast and increasingly deep, the content exceptionally extensive, and the overall experience more engrossing than Fire Emblem Engage and Three Houses.

Pokémon Pokopia’s first expansion, Bubbly Basin, adds a large underwater town built from the ruins of Cerulean City, along with swimming, floating construction, lighting challenges, a submarine, new Pokémon, furniture, crops, treasure maps and blueprints. The review finds the expansion as charming and imaginative as the main game, with its underwater mechanics providing a meaningful new gameplay angle. Despite minor inconsistencies in underwater object behaviour, irritating dialogue and the lack of voice acting, it receives a score of 9/10 and is judged essential for Pokopia players.

Retro Games CTO Chris Smith discusses The Spectrum White Edition, a full-size recreation of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum featuring 48 built-in games, modern display and save options, USB support, and a complete BASIC programming environment. Smith explains the technical challenges of reproducing the Spectrum’s distinctive rubber keyboard and timing-accurate hardware, the complicated ownership of its branding, and Retro Games’ broader mission to preserve home computers rather than merely create game-focused mini-consoles. He also describes the company’s origins, its products based on the Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari platforms, and its support for new independent games on retro hardware. The interview emphasizes the educational value of accessible programming, the enduring European retro-gaming community, and the role of nostalgia in connecting older and younger generations.

Splatoon Raiders reworks the Salmon Run mode into a mostly single‑player experience with strong gunplay and enjoyable co‑op raids but offers few new ideas. Linear levels, minimal story, and limited innovation diminish its appeal, making it feel unnecessary for series veterans and underwhelming for newcomers, despite engaging combat and gadget variety.

The Revelations expansion for Doom: The Dark Ages is praised as the best installment in the modern Doom trilogy, highlighted by its innovative Chain Spear weapon, refined combat and improved level design. Despite disappointing Microsoft layoffs that heavily affected the development team, the DLC offers a deeper and more engaging experience than the base game, blending the strengths of Doom Eternal and The Dark Ages. With substantial content, challenging gameplay and strong replay value, it stands out as one of the top gaming releases of the year.

A hands-on preview of The Blood Of Dawnwalker describes a Witcher-inspired open‑world RPG set in an original vampire‑dominated universe, highlighting its time‑limited structure, dialogue‑driven choices, and distinctive combat system. Director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz and artist Adam Payet discuss the studio’s approach to story‑first development, manageable team sizes, efficient production, and the goal of creating a memorable and artistically coherent experience. Early impressions note familiar design influences but also unique mechanics and strong creative ambition.

Microsoft’s latest layoffs and studio closures underscore deep strategic problems at Xbox, driven by years of inconsistent priorities and reliance on aging franchises such as Halo, Gears of War, and Forza. New leadership under Asha Sharma suggests a renewed focus on legacy IP and Bethesda titles despite prolonged development timelines and declining relevance. With hardware sales weak and exclusivity financially untenable, Xbox faces shrinking options while avoiding a full transition to third‑party publishing. Continued denial of market realities leaves the brand vulnerable as competitors strengthen in the absence of meaningful challenge.