Posts by Gavin Annand

As stated in my previous Devil’s Advocate article, a strong and well-considered argument should, first and foremost, give honest consideration to any opposing standpoints. By understanding opposing views, we can reinforce our own views while arming ourselves with the ability to tackle opposing arguments. That is the purpose of The Devil’s Advocate. In these articles,…

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is an enjoyable game, and a welcome return of the king of the stompy robots genre. But while it is definitely fun, it is still at least 12 months (and probably a few paid DLCs) away from being a complete game. If you haven’t committed to MechWarrior 5 yet, or you want…

Bullfrog Productions was founded in 1987 by Les Edgar and Peter Molyneux. Edgar’s name might be more familiar to motorsports fans than gamers; he left the industry in 1999 and eventually became chair of TVR Automotive. Molyneux, however, is a name well known in the games industry, and while he has been praised for his…

The RPG genre is my favorite genre, and is a genre that often receives a great deal of critical acclaim; RPGs often feature deep, involving plots and have a great deal of character development, as well as deep mechanics to sink your teeth into. Hype around RPGs can sometimes give these games a greater reputation…

In 2004, Valve revolutionized the games industry with the launch of their digital distribution platform, Steam. Steam’s pioneering success owes a great deal to Half-Life 2, which was launched in tandem with Steam. While the Half-Life series sadly faded away, Steam went from strength to strength. Today, the platform is synonymous with game distribution. For…

A strong and well-considered argument should, first and foremost, give honest consideration to any opposing standpoints. By understanding opposing views, we can reinforce our own views while arming ourselves with the ability to tackle opposing arguments. That is the purpose of The Devil’s Advocate. In these articles I will take what is considered to be…

GOG has always been the underdog in the digital distribution scene. From their origins in 2008 as classic games distributor Good Old Games, GOG has gone from strength to strength while staying true to their core philosophy of DRM-free gaming. As a subsidiary of industry darling CD Projekt, it isn’t a surprise that GOG mirrors…

I’ve primarily been a PC gamer throughout my life, and I think that’s a good thing. I’ve always had access to a huge selection of brilliant games, with (for the most part) a more diverse selection of styles and genres. These days, multi-platform releases constitute a significant portion of games released, if not the majority….

You’re a level 1 warrior who has just walked into the local tavern, wearing naught but some poor-quality leather armor and carrying a rusty dagger and an old buckler. As you approach the bar, the tavern keeper tells you that unfortunately, there isn’t any ale; the cellar is overrun with rats–20 of them, to be…

The Doom series has long been a cultural phenomenon, one that has transcended the world of gaming and garnered recognition in wider entertainment culture. The series revolutionized game design, and set a technical benchmark for game engines. It also made celebrities of the devs behind it – John Carmack, John Romero, American McGee – but…