About Matthew Byrd
Matthew Byrd
Matthew Byrd covers the gaming industry including indies, consoles, PCs, iOS and Android apps, as well as topics related to entertainment and technology.
Xbox Scarlett: 10 Facts You Need to Know
June 12, 2019 | Matthew ByrdMicrosoft has officially entered the next-gen race with the reveal of Project Scarlett; the name being used to describe their next flagship Xbox.
A lot of people are talking about Xbox Scarlett after E3 2019, but there’s so much … Read More
Marvel’s Avengers: Marvel’s Worst Mistake in Years
June 12, 2019 | Matthew ByrdIt’s hard to believe that we’re not that far removed from Marvel almost going bankrupt. Of course, that was before Marvel went all-in on their movie projects. As a result of those efforts, five of the top ten highest … Read More
E3 2019: Xbox Showed Why PlayStation Skipped E3
June 10, 2019 | Matthew ByrdThe Xbox team put on a very good E3 2019 press conference. You could go so far as to say that it was their best E3 conference of the last few years. It was concise, it covered most of … Read More
Google Stadia Exclusives Will Make or Break the Service
June 6, 2019 | Matthew ByrdFollowing today’s presentation, we know much more about Google Stadia than we did before.
For instance, we know that the service will cost $9.99 a month, which grants you access to a free collection of games as well as … Read More
Call of Duty: 10 Most Controversial Moments
May 31, 2019 | Matthew ByrdThe reveal of the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and its “ripped from the headlines” story has gotten people talking about Call of Duty‘s controversial moments. Already, a scene in the new Call of Duty involving a child … Read More
Pokemon: The 10 Best Spin-Offs Ever
May 29, 2019 | Matthew ByrdWith the surprising reveal of three new Pokemon Games (Pokemon Sleep, Pokemon Masters, and Detective Pikachu for Switch), it’s a good time to remind everyone that the history of Pokemon spin-offs has been surprisingly solid over the years.
Actually, … Read More
Death Stranding, Shenmue 3, and 5 More Potential Video Game Busts
May 17, 2019 | Matthew ByrdAs Anthem reminded us all, no game is too big to survive being a bust. In fact, the only way a game can be a proper bust if it’s it big enough to be anticipated in the first place.
Rage 2 and Days Gone Show Open World Games Need to Change
May 15, 2019 | Matthew ByrdRecently, Days Gone and Rage 2 were released to less-than-spectacular reviews. While these games failures and successes aren’t exactly the same, there are a few things that bind both titles. Both showcase a post-apocalyptic world, both suffer from some … Read More
F-Zero: Why We’ll Never Get a Sequel
May 9, 2019 | Matthew ByrdWhenever we approach a Nintendo E3 conference (or an E3 Nintendo Direct), people tend to start looking at their wishlist of games they hope Nintendo announces during what is typically their biggest presentation of the year. This year is … Read More
PlayStation 5: Why Price Matters More Than Power
May 2, 2019 | Matthew ByrdThe PlayStation 5 is coming. Granted, we don’t know when it will be released, we don’t know what games it will feature, we don’t know its exact specs, and we don’t even know if it will be called the … Read More
News
Why The Order: 1886 Deserves a Sequel
January 27, 2020 | Matthew Byrd
There are many who feel that sequels are a blight on the entertainment industry. For every Terminator 2 and Godfather 2, you have a seemingly endless supply of uninspired follow-ups that just look to cash-in on the original installment’s … Read More
Why PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X Will Depend on Single-Player Games
January 24, 2020 | Matthew Byrd
I’ve always supported single-player games, but there was a point in my life when I would actively root against multiplayer titles. There was really no good reason why, but in my mind, at that time, I saw multiplayer games … Read More
Why Did Call of Duty Dominate Video Game Sales This Decade?
January 17, 2020 | Matthew Byrd
Figures compiled by the NDP Group have seemingly revealed the top-selling video games of the decade. In many ways, the list (which accounts for revenue as well as total sales) is not that surprising. Grand Theft Auto 5 and … Read More
Articles
Why The Order: 1886 Deserves a Sequel
January 27, 2020 | Matthew Byrd There are many who feel that sequels are a blight on the entertainment industry. For every Terminator 2 and Godfather 2, you have a seemingly endless supply of uninspired follow-ups that just look to cash-in on the original installment’s … Read More
Why Did Call of Duty Dominate Video Game Sales This Decade?
January 17, 2020 | Matthew Byrd Figures compiled by the NDP Group have seemingly revealed the top-selling video games of the decade. In many ways, the list (which accounts for revenue as well as total sales) is not that surprising. Grand Theft Auto 5 and … Read More
Make Me a Quake as Fast as You Can
January 16, 2020 | Robert Endyo
Recently I watched a great short interview from Noclip with Tim Willits, a former director and co-owner at id Software of the Quake franchise. He went through the history of Quake and discussed some of the development processes … Read More
Reviews
Rage 2’s use of Open-World design does not work
June 4, 2019 | Robert Endyo
Recently, I finished Rage 2. I set out in the game with the hope that it would deliver something reminiscent of the magnificence of Doom while drawing some of the enjoyable open-world aspects of an Avalanche developed game. I … Read More
PlayStation Now: Does it Need to Change to Survive?
March 25, 2019 | Matthew Byrd
In many ways, PlayStation Now is shaping up to be Sony’s biggest missed opportunity of the PS4 era.
PlayStation Now sounded like a pretty exciting service when it was first revealed in 2014. At the very least, it offered … Read More
Crackdown 3 or Anthem: Which is More Disappointing?
February 21, 2019 | Matthew Byrd
February 2019 was supposed to be one of the biggest months for games in recent memory. Headlined by titles like Metro Exodus, Crackdown 3, and Anthem, many gamers were left wondering just how they were going to play all … Read More
Opinion
Playing a Game vs. Watching a Playthrough
January 25, 2020 | Robert Endyo
I recently saw a poll on twitter asking the question “Can you be a fan of a game if you’ve only watched a playthrough of it?” The results were a resounding “yes,” but I found myself disagreeing with this … Read More
How Do You Decide What Game to Play?
January 21, 2020 | Robert Endyo
Being an adult came with some great advantages when it came to gaming. Namely that, with an income, I’ve been able to buy several of the games I want to play. Combining that with bundles, event-based sales, and now subscription … Read More
Make Me a Quake as Fast as You Can
January 16, 2020 | Robert Endyo
Recently I watched a great short interview from Noclip with Tim Willits, a former director and co-owner at id Software of the Quake franchise. He went through the history of Quake and discussed some of the development processes … Read More