Software piracy
![Ship-to-ship battles play a big part in the competitive side of a game built with co-operation at its core.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/u/8/h/z/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1ju8by.png/1497641105618.jpg)
It's not out until next year, but Stuff set sail for high seas adventure at E3 with a hands-on look at Rare's Xbox pirate game.
Forza 7: Hands-on preview
![The newest Forza game allows for up to 24 racers to compete online simultaneously on the same server across Xbox and PC.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/t/8/v/8/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1jt2sy.png/1497508842977.jpg)
It's the best-looking console racing game ever made, but how does it play? Stuff takes it for a test drive at E3.
Gaming's future: T-rex possession and hats
![Pictured: a virtual Italian plumber possessing a t-rex. What an age we live in!](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/s/v/r/r/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1jsvzb.png/1497493224503.jpg)
Nintendo promises moustached dinosaurs and nostalgia to fans, as E3 expo continues in US.
The making of Xbox One X
![The Xbox One X runs at 6 teraflops, making it the world's most powerful gaming machine by some margin.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/s/7/m/x/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1js1fb.png/1497417821441.jpg)
Xbox executive Mike Nichols gives us the inside track on the development of the world's most powerful console.
Dream Pokemon game finally coming
![The hype is intensifying for Pokemon fans the world over.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/s/3/i/q/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1js36u.png/1497414548868.jpg)
Forget Pokemon Go - the game Poke-maniacs have waited more than 20 years for is finally on its way.
Major new PlayStation games unveiled
![Sony's E3 briefing featured plenty of on-stage theatrics but ket the focus firmly on its stellar line-up of games.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/r/b/s/d/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1jr3q7.png/1497335018650.jpg)
Sony's E3 conference saw the launch of dozens of huge new titles and more than a few surprises.
Xbox One X: 'It's a monster'
![The Xbox One X will be released on November 7, at a likely price of $749](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/p/x/m/x/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1jpuot.png/1497297184584.jpg)
Microsoft kicked off E3 2017 by unveiling the the world's most powerful console and 42 new games.
XBox chooses Kiwi game builders
![Ashen's faceless characters are being built here in New Zealand.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/m/8/q/6/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1jg9pd.png/1496794246853.jpg)
New Zealand is fast becoming a hot-spot for gamers and fantasy artists. Just ask the experts.
Counter Culture launches in Wellington
![Husband and wife team Ahmed Bulbulia and Emma Smart in front of a selection of board games at their new gaming cafe ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/g/9/6/n/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1jfz3b.png/1496717160928.jpg)
Mecca for board game novices and die hard fans set to open in central Wellington on Thursday.
Battling each other, and depression
![Members of the Gore Corps LAN Club battle it out in cyberspace.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/i/7/i/a/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1ji6wu.png/1496699519789.jpg)
They're battling each other in cyberspace, and they're also using their comradeship to battle depression.
Tanked up in Russia
![Team Tornado Energy lifts the 30kg Monolith Trophy after being named 2017 World of Tanks World Champions.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/k/q/n/r/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1jiksi.png/1496627071993.png)
Stuff jets off to Moscow for the World of Tanks Grand Finals, one of the biggest global eSports events of the year.
Virtual sports taking off
![Junpei Sasaki playing "HADO", in which competitors in head-mounted augmented-reality displays and armband sensors dodge ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/5/u/5/z/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1j5tb7.png/1494940367702.jpg)
Twelve new sports have been certified in Japan. They all take place in the virtual arena.
Review: Prey
![Morgan Yu, playable as either male or female, isn’t exactly a silent protagonist but they’re pretty close.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/j/1/y/e/a/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1j1yb1.png/1494553056789.jpg)
Prey is a polished game that does a lot of good storytelling, despite not having a particularly original plot.
Hall of Fame adds Halo
![Halo enthralled a legion of fans after its 2001 launch.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/i/y/q/z/o/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1iyqwj.png/1494193724597.png)
Until Halo's launch, the most successful shooters required a PC and the precision offered by a mouse.
Grinding Gear: Garage guys go global
![Some of the Grinding Gear development team. After starting out in a tiny Auckland garage, the studio now employs more ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/i/w/g/s/b/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1iwglb.png/1493861106499.jpg)
From an Auckland garage to a global gaming powerhouse, the team behind Path of Exile are only just getting started.
Preview: Tekken 7
![Tekken 7 has a huge roster with a lot of new fighters, including Akuma from Street Fighter.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/i/w/a/c/g/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1iwabw.png/1493849014068.jpg)
It’s the Tekken you know and love, but with enough new additions to feel like a big step forward.
Gaming could be an Olympic sport
![Esports are a step closer to being considered for the Olympics.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/h/o/x/t/y/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1ilsyc.png/1493038394778.jpg)
Gamers, get training - Esports are a step closer to being considered for the Olympics.
Nintendo scraps NES Classic
![Nintendo compact version of its NES console sold for $120 in New Zealand.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/f/8/c/0/3/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1ike2f.png/1492556058373.jpg)
Looking for Nintendo's retro video game console? Your search just got a whole lot harder.
Nintendo may release mini Switch
![Nintendo said the Switch sold faster in its first month than any other of its video-game systems.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/h/k/h/w/2/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1ik7ib.png/1492464830003.jpg)
Expect more variations of the Switch as Nintendo continues to refine its home and portable business strategy.
Star Wars game trailer leaked
![A screenshot from Star Wars: Battlefront II.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/i/h/w/1/1/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1ihw0f.png/1492031517930.jpg)
The trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront II first appeared on Vimeo but was later pulled.
Kids go wild for ‘Wild Eyes’
![Wild Eyes developer Paul Ward (left) says his invention is an online community for kids, aimed at getting them off their ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/i/g/d/n/5/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1ighat.png/1492025171137.jpg)
It may be an online activity, but the aim of Wild Eyes is to get kids off their screens and outside.
Persona 5: a game for cool kids
![Persona 5 is an absurdly imaginative game.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/i/g/5/p/t/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1ig5u7.png/1491872788035.jpg)
Persona 5 is a dungeon-crawler, social simulator, and time-management headache all wrapped up in one.
Minecraft to get its own currency
![The Minecraft Marketplace will not be available on all platforms - a notable exclusion being Microsoft's own Xbox and ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/9/f/z/9/t/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1ifu5n.png/1492741300790.jpg)
Microsoft is adding a new marketplace - and a brand new currency - within the video-game Minecraft.
New Xbox details revealed
![The CPU is 30 per cent faster than the original system, and the GPU 4.6 times more powerful.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/i/e/r/7/v/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1ier7a.png/1491777426194.jpg)
No official name or pricing has been revealed, but the system looks to be a powerhouse.
Capital's young developers
![From left: Amelie, Alec and Finn Barker. Eight-year-old twins Amelie and Finn are the creative brains behind new game ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170617043040im_/https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/i/7/s/3/y/image.related.StuffThumbnail.90x60.1i7p9z.png/1490924144201.jpg)
Eight-year-old twins Amelie and Finn Barker create a modern take on naughts and crosses now available from app stores.
Hairdresser gifted breast implants
Sleep apnea a factor in Fisher death
'Israel' cut from famous lyrics
Celebrities share their dads' advice
Rocky, Karate Kid director dies
My Sydney, with Vivid's Kiwi director
The quietly charming life of an 'old theatre cat'
A day in the life of broadcaster Bernadine Oliver-Kerby