GVMERS

[EARLY ACCESS] The Tragedy of The Callisto Protocol

Survival horror has continuously evolved since Resident Evil 4 revolutionized it with intense over-the-shoulder action in 2005. Numerous gam

Survival horror has continuously evolved since Resident Evil 4 revolutionized it with intense over-the-shoulder action in 2005. Numerous games have further contributed to the genre’s evolution in the years since then, chief among them being Dead Space from Visceral Games and publisher Electronic Arts. A group of the sci-fi horror game’s origina...

[PREVIEW] The Tragedy of The Callisto Protocol

Survival horror has continuously evolved since Resident Evil 4 revolutionized it with intense over-the-shoulder action in 2005. Numerous gam

Survival horror has continuously evolved since Resident Evil 4 revolutionized it with intense over-the-shoulder action in 2005. Numerous games have further contributed to the genre’s evolution in the years since then, chief among them being Dead Space from Visceral Games and publisher Electronic Arts. A group of the sci-fi horro...

[EARLY ACCESS] The Tragedy of XDefiant

To many publishers, the explosive rise of free-to-play games promised near-endless earning potential, thanks to microtransactions providing

To many publishers, the explosive rise of free-to-play games promised near-endless earning potential, thanks to microtransactions providing extraordinary amounts of passive income. In 2021, for instance, Call of Duty publisher Activision’s live-service titles generated a staggering $5.1 billion from in-game purchases alone. The lucrative recurring...

[PREVIEW] The Tragedy of XDefiant

To many publishers, the explosive rise of free-to-play games promised near-endless earning potential, thanks to microtransactions providing extraordinary amounts of passive income. In 2021, for instance, Call of Duty publisher Activision’s live-service titles generated a staggering $5.1 billion from in-game purchases alone. The lucrative recurring revenue stream inspired other big-name publishing outfits to pursue the development of similar interactive experiences; a number of them chased t...

[EARLY ACCESS] The Tragedy of Concord

Successful live-service games generate lucrative and recurring revenue streams, courtesy of microtransactions and battle pass sales. Blizzard Entertainment set the standard in many respects considering the way it supported the original Overwatch, which accrued an astounding $1 billion in revenue and 30 million registered users in its first year of availability. Game publishers across the industry quickly jumped at the chance to get a piece of the pie, some pursuing the service trend to great ...

[PREVIEW] The Tragedy of Concord

Successful live-service games generate lucrative and recurring revenue streams, courtesy of microtransactions and battle pass sales. Blizzard Entertainment set the standard in many respects considering the way it supported the original Overwatch, which accrued an astounding $1 billion in revenue and 30 million registered users in its first year of availability. Game publishers across the industry quickly jumped at the chance to get a piece of the pie, some pursuing the service trend to great ...

[EARLY ACCESS] The Story of Mafia

Often reduced to another in a long line of Grand Theft Auto clones, the original Mafia actually differentiated itself from the pack upon its August 2002 release on PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Mafia writer and director Daniel Vávra argued in an interview with International Business Times that the sole similarities between the two were their open-world settings...

[PREVIEW] The Story of Mafia

Often reduced to another in a long line of Grand Theft Auto clones, the original Mafia actually differentiated itself from the pack upon its August 2002 release on PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Mafia writer and director Daniel Vávra argued in an interview with International Business Times that the sole similarities between the two were their open-world settings...

[EARLY ACCESS] The Rise and Fall of Twisted Metal

Built by a team with minimal game development experience, the original Twisted Metal raced on to PlayStation in 1995 and revolutionized vehicular combat games. A short single-player campaign and weak graphics left much to be desired, but these flaws were easily overlooked considering fun, high-octane gameplay and a competitive Duel Mode kept players engaged for hours on end. Sony found repeat success with Twisted Metal sequels, which released at a relatively brisk pace well into the 2000s. No...

[PREVIEW] The Rise and Fall of Twisted Metal

Built by a team with minimal game development experience, the original Twisted Metal raced on to PlayStation in 1995 and revolutionized vehicular combat games. A short single-player campaign and weak graphics left much to be desired, but these flaws were easily overlooked considering fun, high-octane gameplay and a competitive Duel Mode kept players engaged for hours on end. Sony found repeat success with Twisted Metal sequels, which released at a relatively brisk pace well into the 2000s. No...

[EARLY ACCESS] The Rise and Fall of SSX

Electronic Arts’s EA Sports division dominated sports-based video games throughout the 1990s, having produced multiple FIFA Soccer, John Madden Football, and NBA Live titles. However, very few of these experiences ever set the world on fire in terms of quality, with the average review rating of an EA Sports release settling in around the mid-70s. The publisher’s first venture into America’s favorite pastime with Triple Play Baseball wouldn’t change this pattern, but it did open the do...

[PREVIEW] The Rise and Fall of SSX

Electronic Arts’s EA Sports division dominated sports-based video games throughout the 1990s, having produced multiple FIFA Soccer, John Madden Football, and NBA Live titles. However, very few of these experiences ever set the world on fire in terms of quality, with the average review rating of an EA Sports release settling in around the mid-70s. The publisher’s first venture into America’s favorite pastime with Triple Play Baseball wouldn’t change this pattern, but it did open the do...

[EARLY ACCESS] The History of Fallout

The role-playing game genre wears many faces, its unremitting flexibility stemming from deep tabletop games and pen-and-paper experiences which inspired a generation of developers to implement similar themes and mechanics into interactive adventures. Fallout spawned from such an era, initially conceived as the first computer game adaptation of GURPS. For a brief period, it even played the part of a potential Wasteland sequel; publisher Interplay Production...

[PREVIEW] The History of Fallout

The role-playing game genre wears many faces, its unremitting flexibility stemming from deep tabletop games and pen-and-paper experiences which inspired a generation of developers to implement similar themes and mechanics into interactive adventures. Fallout spawned from such an era, initially conceived as the first computer game adaptation of GURPS. For a brief period, it even played the part of a potential Wasteland sequel; publisher Interplay Production...

[EARLY ACCESS] The Tragedy of PayDay 3

Payday: The Heist may have received middling reviews in 2011, yet few could deny it offered anything less than a thrilling cooperative experience. The bank robber fantasy invited PC and PlayStation 3 users to assemble crews of four and take on daring, high-stakes heists. Within a year, over 700,000 players had joined the shooter’s criminal underworld, an impressive feat for developer Overkill Software’s first game. The studio delivered repeat success two years later upon deploying Payday ...

[PREVIEW] The Tragedy of PayDay 3

Payday: The Heist may have received middling reviews in 2011, yet few could deny it offered anything less than a thrilling cooperative experience. The bank robber fantasy invited PC and PlayStation 3 users to assemble crews of four and take on daring, high-stakes heists. Within a year, over 700,000 players had joined the shooter’s criminal underworld, an impressive feat for developer Overkill Software’s first game. The studio delivered repeat success two years later upon deploying Payday ...

[EARLY ACCESS] The Tragedy of Skull and Bones

After recreating the Crusades, renaissance Italy, and the American Revolution, Assassin’s Creed made the Golden Age of Piracy its playground in 2013. The historical setting enveloped players in a swashbuckling adventure across early 18th Century Caribbean waters. Naval combat mechanics entered the mix as a series first, proving so thrilling that fans wasted no time wishing for an Ubisoft-produced pirate game sans the trappings of Assassin’s Creed. The publisher unveiled such a project at ...

[PREVIEW] The Tragedy of Skull and Bones

After recreating the Crusades, renaissance Italy, and the American Revolution, Assassin’s Creed made the Golden Age of Piracy its playground in 2013. The historical setting enveloped players in a swashbuckling adventure across early 18th Century Caribbean waters. Naval combat mechanics entered the mix as a series first, proving so thrilling that fans wasted no time wishing for an Ubisoft-produced pirate game sans the trappings of Assassin’s Creed. The publisher unveiled such a project at ...

[EARLY ACCESS] The Tragedy of Gotham Knights

After years of countless missteps and few success stories, Batman: Arkham Asylum’s 2009 debut reinvigorated licensed video games, its innovative combat and compelling use of Metroidvania elements influencing the next-generation of action games and beyond. The title’s critical acclaim and commercial wins resulted in developer Rocksteady Studios shipping a similarly beloved sequel just two years later. With the industry’s Bat-mania in full effect, publisher WB Games had no i...

[PREVIEW] The Tragedy of Gotham Knights

After years of countless missteps and few success stories, Batman: Arkham Asylum’s 2009 debut reinvigorated licensed video games, its innovative combat and compelling use of Metroidvania elements influencing the next-generation of action games and beyond. The title’s critical acclaim and commercial wins resulted in developer Rocksteady Studios shipping a similarly beloved sequel just two years later. With the industry’s Bat-mania in full effect, publisher WB Games had no i...

[EARLY ACCESS] The Tragedy of Doom 4

Regarded as the father of first-person shooters, id Software’s Doom had long set the standard for first-person action when the studio entered production on the franchise’s fourth numbered entry. Doom 3 hadn’t exactly hit the mark, though, a sentiment shared among critics and series faithful who begrudged the game for prioritizing its technical prowess at the expense of gameplay. Doom 4 ran the risk of falling into the same trap, its earliest ver...

[PREVIEW] The Tragedy of Doom 4

Regarded as the father of first-person shooters, id Software’s Doom had long set the standard for first-person action when the studio entered production on the franchise’s fourth numbered entry. Doom 3 hadn’t exactly hit the mark, though, a sentiment shared among critics and series faithful who begrudged the game for prioritizing its technical prowess at the expense of gameplay. Doom 4 ran the risk of falling into the same trap, its earliest ver...

[EARLY ACCESS] The Rise and Fall of Unreal

Wolfenstein 3D, Duke Nukem 3D, Quake. These seminal games rest at the forefront of the first-person shooter genre. All were instrumental to the genre’s birth and subsequent growth in one way or another. Although, there does exist one title of consequence that too often goes without mention—Epic’s Unreal.

In recent years, Unreal has exclusively been associated with the game engine of the same name. As such, its roots are either forgotten or wholly unknown to younger generations of ...

[PREVIEW] The Rise and Fall of Unreal

Wolfenstein 3D, Duke Nukem 3D, Quake. These seminal games rest at the forefront of the first-person shooter genre. All were instrumental to the genre’s birth and subsequent growth in one way or another. Although, there does exist one title of consequence that too often goes without mention—Epic’s Unreal.

In recent years, Unreal has exclusively been associated with the game engine of the same name. As such, its roots are either forgotten or wholly unknown to younger generations of ...

[PATREON EXCLUSIVE] The Tragedy of Prophecy

Introducing our very first Patreon exclusive available to all our paying members as a special thanks for your support, we hope you'll enjoy this look into the Sucker Punch game that never was, this is the tragedy of Prophecy.

Sly Cooper and InFamous developer Sucker Punch Productions stunned audiences when it unveiled Ghost of Tsushima during Paris Games Week in 2017. The short announcement trailer depicted a stark departure from the studio’s previous efforts, a point...

[EARLY ACCESS] The History of Call of Duty's Cancelled Games

Since debuting 2003, the Infinity Ward-created Call of Duty series has immersed players in dozens of military conflicts spread across historically accurate settings and futuristic time periods. 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare proved especially pivotal, steering the brand away from its preceding World War 2 engagements while also redefining first-person action and online multiplayer. By this point, publisher Activision had already begun exploring spinoffs, inviting different developmen...

[PREVIEW] The History of Call of Duty's Cancelled Games

Since debuting 2003, the Infinity Ward-created Call of Duty series has immersed players in dozens of military conflicts spread across historically accurate settings and futuristic time periods. 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare proved especially pivotal, steering the brand away from its preceding World War 2 engagements while also redefining first-person action and online multiplayer. By this point, publisher Activision had already begun exploring spinoffs, inviting different developmen...

[EARLY ACCESS] The Rise and Fall of Motorstorm

PlayStation owners throughout the PS1 and PS2 eras had no shortage of arcade and simulation racers. From first-party offerings like Gran Turismo and Wipeout to third-party endeavors such as Formula 1, Ridge Racer, and Burnout, PlayStation players regularly enjoyed their fill of high-octane action. One development house—Evolution Studios—made a name for itself by producing sim racers for the Sony-owned hardware. Evolution’s World...