Loot boxes in video games 'constitute gambling'
The proliferation of "loot box" mechanics in high profile video games, particularly those available to children, is legally questionable and constitutes gambling, according to a Victorian regulator.
The proliferation of "loot box" mechanics in high profile video games, particularly those available to children, is legally questionable and constitutes gambling, according to a Victorian regulator.
Past hits get a second life on Nintendo Switch, as big developers invest in the platform ahead of Christmas.
The most impressive and inventive entry in the long-running series since the 2007 original.
Shadow of War is an expansive and fun Middle-earth adventure, even if its attempts to wring money out of players can grate.
Much more powerful, but somehow smaller, than the Xbox One S released last year, the Xbox One X is a marvel of technology and engineering that provides the most technically impressive console gaming experience you can get, especially if you're running a 4K TV.
Returning to a free exploration style after years of more linear adventures, the latest Super Mario is a relentlessly joyful celebration of the entire series, but it also drags Mario towards the future with the most modern game design we've seen from the series yet.
Xbox Australia has this morning announced an unusual attraction to build awareness ahead of its major hardware launch next month: a pop-up set of suites in the city where fans can spend a night with the new machine.
Like its 2014 predecessor, The Fractured But Whole is a game with astonishingly high production values, perfectly matching the quality of the TV show's writing, performances and knack for politically incorrect social commentary.
Humble Bundle offers bundles that donate to charity every other fortnight. And its latest bundle is worthy of some attention, because it's all Australian.
Forza 7 sets a new bar for many aspects of the series, with an incredibly diverse line-up of cars, dozens of locales and incredible weather effects.
Looking and sounding like a coloured Fleischer animation from the 1930s, but playing more like a tough '80s run-and-gun, Cuphead is an inventive, surprising game centred on a number of boss battles that need to be studied and replayed to overcome.
To celebrate the launch of racing simulation game Forza Motorsport 7, Xbox Australia is today taking the wraps off limited edition "gamewear" that "offers gamers unparalleled coziness and functionality as they hit the virtual track".
Purely on the strength and number of classic games it includes the Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Nintendo Entertainment System offers an incredible value proposition.
There are few better things in video games than a satisfying upgrade loop. A new axe that chops trees twice as fast as your old axe — or a jetpack that makes you realise you've only experienced a fraction of the game world despite hours of exploration — can be incredibly rewarding, and it's this sensation that Steamworld Dig 2 does better than most.
EA's ultra-popular football simulator is back for another season, with FIFA 18 consolidating the strengths of last year's big innovations.
It was around the time I was flinging my pirate hat in order to possess a huge piece of meat that I realised Super Mario Odyssey is a bit weird, even by Super Mario standards.
Intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran is back and, while it's debatable whether she's better than ever, she's certainly doing what she does better than anybody else.
Nidhogg 2 turned heads for all the wrong reasons when it was revealed this time last year, with the gracefully minimalist pixel graphics of the original sword-fighting party favourite replaced by a gross and chunky style that looks like something from a '90s cartoon.
It's difficult to re-invent the wheel on a yearly basis when it comes to sports games, but Ultimate Team and a cinematic story mode keeps Madden fresh.
It's not every day Nintendo hands the keys to its most famous and bankable franchise to an outside publisher, but when the result is as wacky and fun as Ubisoft's Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, it's enough to make you wish the Japanese gaming giant did it more often.
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