James Batchelor is a UK journalist and future multi-millionaire author. By day, he is Editor-in-Chief at GamesIndustry.biz, a trade publication for (you guessed it) the video games industry, and has written for business publications in this sector since 2006.
Feature Perfect Dark Turns 20 - The Definitive Story Behind The N64 Hit That Outclassed James Bond
"We had a lot of ideas, and lots of clever people working out how to do them"
How do you follow GoldenEye 007? In the summer of 2000 – that's 20 years ago this month – Rare presented its answer: Perfect Dark, a sci-fi spy shooter centred around an alien conspiracy. It delivered a cool, competent heroine, a single-player campaign bursting with...
Talking Point Why Pokémon Sword & Shield's Expansion Pass Changes The Rules For The Series
No more $40 makeover sequels as Game Freak voyages into new territory
Since Pikachu took the starring role in Pokémon Yellow, the expectation has been that every Pokémon duology will be followed by a third, slightly revamped edition. This strategy has actually changed somewhat over the past decade, with Black and White each getting a direct...
Review Disney Tsum Tusm Festival - A Colourful Party Game That Isn't As Fun As It Looks
Less 'Heigh Ho', more 'hey ho'
Like the toys themselves, Disney Tsum Tsum Festival is a mutated mess that is both adorable and yet utterly bewildering. On the face of it, this is a collection of mini-games populated by stylised versions of your favourite Disney characters, yet it doesn’t quite live up to that promise. This is in part down to its...
Review Vampyr - Choice-Based Adventure Worth Sinking Your Fangs Into
A vampire game that doesn’t suck
Vampyr, despite its title, isn’t really about vampires. Okay, it is to a large extent (obviously), but what it really explores is the power of temptation – for the main character, most of the people he meets (or eats), and for the player themselves. The game puts you in the pasty skin of Dr Jonathan Reid, a...
