Long Reads

Yoshinori Ono Reflects on Street Fighter 5: “We Re-Learned the Importance of Listening to Our Players”

An interview on the lessons learned from Street Fighter's latest entry.

A Tribute to Chrono Trigger's Weird, Funny, and Depressing Endings on Its 25th Anniversary

Chrono Trigger's detailed endings are an example of how it does everything right.

The Making of Lone Wolf, Halo: Reach's Famous Final Mission

The story of Halo: Reach's last stand, and why it was controversial even within Bungie.

Latest Long Reads

How Mick West Went From Making Tony Hawk's Pro Skater to Debunking Conspiracy Theories

This is the story of Mick West: co-founder of Neversoft, and one of the most well-respected conspiracy theory debunkers around.

Persona 5 Royal's Cries for Justice Resonate More Than Ever

Persona 5 Royal has stolen my heart all over again—even if not everything about it has aged wonderfully.

See How Trials of Mana's Early Scenes Compare Between the Original and the Remake

It's a much bigger upgrade than what Secret of Mana received.

It's a Relief to Have Video Games Right now

With human-to-human contact discouraged, luckily online games give us the hangout spaces we need.

Granblue Fantasy: Versus' RPG Mode is a Missed Opportunity

The single-player campaign can't square up with its excellent foundation.

The Amnesia: Rebirth Interview: "Only Releasing a Game Every 5 Years Takes a Toll On You"

Frictional Games on revisiting Amnesia, lessons learned from Soma, and the studio's future.

Do We Still Need E3? Developers Across Gaming Weigh In

Ahead of today's E3 2020 cancellation, we spoke to numerous developers about E3's place in our industry.

Nintendo PlayStation Grabbed Headlines, But Support for Preservation Remains "Dismal at Best"

We talk to game preservation experts about what's been preserved, what's been squirreled away, and what's already been lost.

Starting Screen is our weekly column featuring news, commentary, and music to help you get over your case of the Mondays.

View Starting Screen archive

Starting Screen | It's a Relief to Have Video Games Right now

With human-to-human contact discouraged, luckily online games give us the hangout spaces we need.

Starting Screen | Everyone Forgets That Final Fantasy 13 Had a Really Good Battle System

Lessons learned from Final Fantasy 13, Ori returns, and everything else that's happening this week in games.

Starting Screen | I Finally Get It

How I finally came to embrace the hype around Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

Opinion

Persona 5 Royal's Cries for Justice Resonate More Than Ever

Persona 5 Royal has stolen my heart all over again—even if not everything about it has aged wonderfully.

See How Trials of Mana's Early Scenes Compare Between the Original and the Remake

It's a much bigger upgrade than what Secret of Mana received.

Starting Screen | It's a Relief to Have Video Games Right now

With human-to-human contact discouraged, luckily online games give us the hangout spaces we need.

Granblue Fantasy: Versus' RPG Mode is a Missed Opportunity

The single-player campaign can't square up with its excellent foundation.

Call of Duty: Warzone's Secret Weapon Isn't Battle Royale, It's The New Plunder Mode

Call of Duty: Warzone's standout mode has nothing to do with battle royale.

Everyone Forgets That Final Fantasy 13 Had a Really Good Battle System

Lessons learned from Final Fantasy 13, Ori returns, and everything else that's happening this week in games.

Square Enix Should Be Clearer About Final Fantasy 7 Remake Being a Multi-Parter

Square Enix's hesitation to label Final Fantasy 7 Remake as a multi-parter is understandable, but it's still not right.

Features

How Mick West Went From Making Tony Hawk's Pro Skater to Debunking Conspiracy Theories

This is the story of Mick West: co-founder of Neversoft, and one of the most well-respected conspiracy theory debunkers around.

The Amnesia: Rebirth Interview: "Only Releasing a Game Every 5 Years Takes a Toll On You"

Frictional Games on revisiting Amnesia, lessons learned from Soma, and the studio's future.

Do We Still Need E3? Developers Across Gaming Weigh In

Ahead of today's E3 2020 cancellation, we spoke to numerous developers about E3's place in our industry.

Nintendo PlayStation Grabbed Headlines, But Support for Preservation Remains "Dismal at Best"

We talk to game preservation experts about what's been preserved, what's been squirreled away, and what's already been lost.

Lists

Stay at Home, Play These Free Games, and Literally Save Lives

Whether made available because of the coronavirus pandemic or not, here are some free games you can enjoy in the coming days.

All the Ways You Can Prepare for Animal Crossing: New Horizons Before Launch

Thanks to fan tools and the archives of Animal Crossing: New Leaf-era QR code sharing, there's a lot of ways to prepare for New Horizons' launch later this week.

The Final Fantasy 7 Spinoffs You Never Knew About

The less famous stories, movies, and games that filled in the gaps of Final Fantasy 7's lore.

6 Resident Evil 3 Remake Details We Spotted That Fans Will Appreciate

From an easier-to-balance inventory to a familiar perk of fighting back against Nemesis, here's everything we noticed in our demo.

All the Sega References and Easter Eggs We Spotted in the Sonic the Hedgehog Movie

Here's everything we noticed in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie.

The 8 Best Entries From Global Game Jam 2020: These Indies Want to Repair Our World

Meditations on the theme of "repair" with robots, relationships, and more.

The 25 Best Mobile Games for iOS and Android

From smartphones to tablets, these are the best games you can get on your iOS and Android devices. Now updated for 2020!

The 25 Best Steam Games

A rotating list of the best games on Steam may seem impossible on the surface, but against all odds, we've done it. Now updated for 2020!

Retrospectives

The Case for the PlayStation 2 Being the Greatest Console Ever

Why the highest-selling console of all time is also the best.

How Mass Effect 2 Made Garrus More Than Just Another Squadmate, And Created an Iconic Character in the Process

On Mass Effect 2's 10th anniversary, we remember how Garrus became one of the Normandy's most vital crew members.

Remember When… A Final Fantasy 7 Tech Demo First Baited Fans Into Wanting a Remake

With Final Fantasy 7 Remake's new delay, let's look back on the first glimpse we got of a better-looking Cloud.

Actually, Resident Evil 4 Was Plenty Scary

On its 15th anniversary, we remember some of Resident Evil 4's scariest moments.