If you want to make a successful new live service game, it HAS to be aimed primarily at the 9-16 age group and be F2P. Kids with endless time, who don't care about graphics and won't buy games, but can still make occasional in-game purchases. Low dev costs, start small, build up.

This makes sense in a world where the Steam Machine is coming for the living room gamer. Sony need to protect the PS6's market share, and exclusives are the best way to do that.

New pick up! Loved the trial on PS Plus, so I had to go ahead and buy Mafia: The Old Country.

Just finished the last cup on Mario Kart World (Rainbow Road!) The game is simply brilliant. The music is so magical, it looks wonderful and the racing is so well balanced and fun. Excited for a new 3D Mario that’s even close to being this polished.

Credits rolled on Silksong! I’d keep going, but my son is desperate to play it so it’s now on loan to his Switch 2.

Just caught up on the Xbox Developer Direct - thought all the games looked incredible. Will definitely play them all, so Gamepass will be justifying itself for another year!

Completed Act 1 of Silksong and can safely conclude that this game is utterly brilliant.

Mario Kart World is so damn good. Love the new power ups and characters, and some of the courses are classics. (Although maybe don’t mention the performance in four player split screen as that’s a shocker)

PS5 owners are in for a treat - don’t sleep on Avowed when it arrives in Feb, it’s brilliant! It’s like a huge open world fantasy game, but designed in a way so that it’s not at all overwhelming.

It’s not surprising that the Switch 2 had an underwhelming Christmas. It’s been selling like mad to hardcore gamers (i.e. you lot), but it’s too expensive for most parents to buy their kids, especially when PS5 was retailing for £290.

This guy. He waits like this if he can’t follow me into a room.

Wouldn’t suit my room, but I still love these super bold colours

@keefstuart.bsky.social - heads up, you need to remove Death Stranding 2 from this list! (may I humbly suggest swapping it for Avowed, Keeper, or South of Midnight instead?) www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...

I'm really enjoying DK Bananza. It's just so much fun to explore and destroy everything - from a game design perspective I can't imagine how hard it is to create a level that can be almost completely destroyed but still works.

Finished stranger things - a few plot holes but they did a great job of capping it all off in a satisfying way. If you look at the whole five seasons (and the play) as a complete story then it’s a pretty damn epic bit of storytelling.

These were my top games of 2025. A stand out incredible year in my book, I’ll remember these games for a long time. Love how many of the below games are all new IP too. Hat tip to Gamepass too for keeping me so well entertained.

It's an easy win for Ghost Town for me, but Of Lies and Rain deserves a mention too. Hitman VR is remarkable, it's like 20+ games in one as each level is like it's own holodeck playground to get lost in - worth buying PSVR2 just for this one game IMO.

Happy new year Bluesky! I opened my Switch 2 over Christmas and I've been loving DK Bananza, MK World and Mario Party Jamboree so far. Had some great Jamboree fun with the kids over the holidays.

Digital sales on PS5 increased from 70% to 76% year on year. So yeah, given the trend will continue for the next few years, there’s no way PS6 will have a disc drive.

Played a good few more hours of Avowed last night. Also, I love Avowed.

Good review here for The Midnight Walk. Happily a patch is on the way for the low resolution in VR, which will address one of the main criticisms here too. www.pushsquare.com/reviews/psvr...

I’d definitely be up for playing an updated version of GTA IV. I can’t remember why, but I never finished it on PS3 and it always annoyed me that I never went back and completed it.

Pics from my helicopter ride over London with my son today! Epic day out.

Been playing Super Mario Bros Wonder again, and I swear this is the greatest ever Mario game. Pure creativity, fun, silliness and perfectly judged challenge. Simply wonderful.

GTA 6 is looking insane in the new trailer. Rockstar are just on another level - let’s hope it plays as good as it looks!

No GTA? No problem! Here’s the games I hope to play this year anyway… South of Midnight Ghost of Yotai Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Jedi Survivor Days Gone Remastered Star Wars Outlaws Expansion Blue Prince Citizen Sleeper 2 Silksong Switch 2 will be held til Xmas, so there’s that too!

Today’s purchases!

Just watched Thunderbolts*. First impression? Best MCU thing since Endgame. Florence Pugh rules.

The 2TB Series X is now more expensive than the PS5 Pro in America.

This gen is crazy

While I didn’t get Glastonbury tickets, I’m making my own festival line up for the same weekend. Got tickets to see Haim in Margate’s Dreamland on the Friday, followed by Linkin Park at Wembley Stadium on the Saturday. Now I just need a Sunday headliner…

A great example of how modern life is rubbish - trying to book a trip to Disneyland. The website has a queue to access it. Tickets are dated, there's 14 days for 7, early park access, virtual queue apps, Lightning Lanes, Dining Plans. Has no-one stepped back to ask, what the fuck are we doing here?

Likelihood of 2025 ending up as one of the best ever years in gaming?

Ghost Town is out and we have it a glowing review! Which you can watch in the link below. We also wanted to let you know that we have an affiliate link that can save you 10% off your purchase. 10% off - meta.com/affiliates/Ajp… Review - youtu.be/8l01oTHMI7w Enjoy!

This is true, there’s been loads of opportunities to preorder a Switch 2 here, all the main retailers keep getting restocks.

People upset at the lack of physical copies in Collectors Editions - the vast majority are buying games digitally, and many players only own digital-only consoles too. Having physical editions just complicates things unnecessarily, when the majority don't want/need them.

Here's UploadVR's excellent written review by the ever-busy @henrystockdale.com, which aligns with my views on the game exactly. Now we just need @fireproofgames.com to announce a follow up in what deserves to be an on-going franchise.

I've now finished Ghost Town on Quest 3, and it's one of my favourite VR games ever. It does everything so well, and I can't wait for other people to play it. Please check out our review video below, and drop us a sub while you are there 😜

You lot all debating whether to play Oblivion or Clair Obscura, meanwhile I’m here still plugging away diligently (and having a great time!) on Avowed.

This must be the best run ever for Gamepass right? Since Indy it’s been relentless.

Glad they were able to change the ending of Mythic Quest so it didn’t end on a cliffhanger and gives a more satisfying ending in light of not being renewed for another series. Felt like they got as much as they could out of the scenario, and it’s better it ended before it got bad.

This looks like it’ll be a lot of fun, and it’ll be great to have an excuse to jump back into the excellent Star Wars Outlaws and continue Kay Vess’s adventure! Demo now available too, so no excuse for not checking it out 😜 youtu.be/c27kWaF7umo?...

Back home after a week away in Greece. Night flight and 3am drive round the M25, finally in bed at 4:30. Beloved kids up at 7:30 asking if we can go and get the dog from our dog-sitting friends… 😴

Really want to get a Playdate, always have. £250 though, with delivery and a case. Just too expensive to justify, right?

Meta: You WILL play and enjoy Horizon Worlds!

Right Brits, phase one is complete: we’ve secured a Universal theme park. Now for phase two: Super Nintendo World. Time to write to your MP, collect signatures, organise marches. Whatever it takes.

Super excited - this is 20 mins away from me. Much easier than flying to Florida! Hoping there’s a Nintendo World there too…

In the last year, Xbox has put out Hellblade 2, Indiana Jones, Avowed, and now South of Midnight. Credit where it’s due, it’s been my favourite console recently. Love the commitment to new IP too, something that’s too rare in the industry right now!

Very impressed by the opening chapters of South of Midnight. Another game, like Indiana Jones, that also runs at 60fps on Series S. Devs are working miracles with this tiny little box now!

Spoiler: I'm loving Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate so far. The combat is poor and arguably unnecessary, but playing on Easy is giving me an epic puzzle adventure game that encapsulates so much of what I love about VR.