Starting Screen archive

Starting Screen | E3 Needs to be More Than PAX Lite

The industry and community has changed around E3. Can E3 remain relevant in the modern day?

By Mike WilliamsTuesday February 12, 2019

Starting Screen | EA's Bad Reputation Hangs Over Apex Legends' Surprise Launch

Apex Legends has to do its best to outrun the perception of Electronic Arts.

By Mike WilliamsTuesday February 5, 201912

Starting Screen | Resident Evil 2 is Another Win for a Resurgent Capcom

Capcom is rebounding after a tough generation, Kingdom Hearts 3 is almost here, and more on this week's Starting Screen.

By Kat BaileyTuesday January 29, 201915

Starting Screen | How Ace Combat 7's Dog.jpg Brought Joy to a Turbulent January in the Games Industry

Sensing the need for some good old-fashioned dog-based hilarity, Bandai Namco delivered the good boy.

By Tom OrryMonday January 21, 20195

Starting Screen | The Emerging War Between the Epic Games Store and Steam is Just the Beginning

The digital ecosystem is undergoing its biggest shakeup since 2005.

By Kat BaileyTuesday January 15, 20199

Starting Screen | Why 2019 Will Be a Quieter Year for Games Compared to 2017 and 2018

As developers gear up for the next generation, 2019 looks slimmer than recent years.

By Caty McCarthyMonday January 7, 201917

Starting Screen | 2018 in Video Games: Less Innovation, More Iteration

STARTING SCREEN | 2018 was a year of big games with a lot of caveats, making this year's end of the year deliberations more varied than ever.

By Caty McCarthyMonday December 17, 20188

Starting Screen | The Horrifying Live-Action Movie Sonic Should Have Taken a Few Lessons From Detective Pikachu

STARTING SCREEN | It doesn't take a detective to figure out why the Sonic the Hedgehog movie poster isn't a hit.

By Nadia OxfordMonday December 10, 201811

Starting Screen | 2018's Impossible Task: Living Up to the Standard Set by 2017

STARTING SCREEN | How does 2018 measure up among the best years of this console generation?

By Caty McCarthyMonday December 3, 201811

Starting Screen | Fallout 76 Should be a Cautionary Tale for Publishers

STARTING SCREEN | Online service games can generous outrageous profits, but their potential for disaster is often high.

By Kat BaileyTuesday November 27, 201810

Starting Screen | Fallout 76's Reception Has Been Worse Than Anyone Could Have Imagined. Can Bethesda Right the Ship?

STARTING SCREEN | Opinion on Fallout 76 was mixed from the start, but no one could have predicted that it would stumble this badly out of the gate.

By Kat BaileyMonday November 19, 20189

Starting Screen | The Detective Pikachu Trailer is a Work of Evil Genius

STARTING SCREEN | The Pokemon marketing machine takes a risk and scores another huge win.

By Kat BaileyMonday November 12, 201814

Starting Screen | It's Okay to Feel Disappointed Over Diablo Immortal

STARTING SCREEN | To be disappointed is human, but to keep that disappointment in perspective is divine.

By Nadia OxfordMonday November 5, 201823

Starting Screen | The PlayStation Classic's Game Lineup Misses Out on Capturing What Made PS1 So Great

STARTING SCREEN | Licensing issues and questionable choices keep PS1 from reaching its potential.

By Kat BaileyMonday October 29, 201824

Starting Screen | Can Red Dead Redemption 2 Avoid the Pitfalls of Being a Prequel?

STARTING SCREEN | Red Dead Redemption 2 will undoubtedly be an amazing looking game. But there are some potential drawbacks to being a prequel.

By Kat BaileyMonday October 22, 20187

Starting Screen | Red Dead Redemption 2's 100-Hour Weeks Are Nothing New for Rockstar

STARTING SCREEN | Rockstar has been dealing with these issues for a long time now.

By Kat BaileyMonday October 15, 20188

Starting Screen | Fallout 76 Can't Help Losing One Part of What Makes the Core Games So Memorable

STARTING SCREEN | Fallout 76's storytelling is receiving plenty of positive mention, but it still loses a crucial aspect of the core games.

By Kat BaileyMonday October 8, 20183

Starting Screen | Games Are Longer Than Ever, and That's Perfectly Fine

STARTING SCREEN | Games like Assassin's Creed Odyssey are longer than ever. And you know what? That's fine.

By Kat BaileyMonday October 1, 201825

Starting Screen | It's Pokemon Red and Blue's 20th Anniversary in North America, and We're Celebrating With USG Pokemon Week!

STARTING SCREEN | Pokemon launched in North America 20 years ago this week, and the sensation still hasn't ended.

By Kat BaileyMonday September 24, 20186

Starting Screen | Nintendo Switch Online Hasn't Even Launched Yet, and It Already Has Major Problems

STARTING SCREEN | Nintendo Switch Online launches tomorrow, and details are annoyingly scarce.

By Caty McCarthyMonday September 17, 201818

Starting Screen | At EA's Jacksonville Tribute: Tears and the First Step Toward Healing

STARTING SCREEN | A community picks up the pieces after an unspeakable tragedy.

By Kat BaileyMonday September 10, 20181

Starting Screen | Tragedy Strikes the Madden Community

STARTING SCREEN | A mass shooting casts a pall over the Madden competitive community, and over gaming as a whole.

By Kat BaileyMonday August 27, 20185

Starting Screen | ROMs Play a Vital Role in Filling in the Gaps of RPG History

STARTING SCREEN | No ROMs means no way to play a lot of classic RPGs that still don't have legitimate releases (and probably never will).

By Nadia OxfordMonday August 20, 201813

Starting Screen | The IGN Plagiarism Incident Once Again Highlights the Strange Place Occupied by Game Reviews

STARTING SCREEN | The IGN plagiarism incident spotlights the odd role played by game reviews.

By Kat BaileyMonday August 13, 201826

Starting Screen | Metroidvanias Are Having a Moment

STARTING SCREEN | Hollow Knight leads a fantastically strong crop of recent metroidvanias.

By Kat BaileyMonday August 6, 201814

Starting Screen | 2018 is the Year for Games We Nearly Forgot Finally Seeing the Light of Day

STARTING SCREEN | Chasm, La-Mulana 2, and Iconoclasts almost felt like mythical games, and in 2018, they're finally here.

By Caty McCarthyMonday July 30, 201810

Starting Screen | Mega Man: Fully Charged Looks Weird and Different and Long-Time Mega Man Fans Will Have to Deal With It

STARTING SCREEN | Weirdly, part of being an adult is realizing stuff for kids isn't meant for you.

By Nadia OxfordMonday July 23, 201823

Starting Screen | Why I Got Back Into Pokemon Go

STARTING SCREEN | I tried to escape, but Niantic keeps dragging me back in.

By Kat BaileyMonday July 16, 20184

Starting Screen | When I Played Pokemon on IRC and Still More Summer Gaming Memories

STARTING SCREEN | We have more summer gaming memories, look ahead to Octopath Traveler, and more.

By Kat BaileyMonday July 9, 20185

Starting Screen | The Crew 2's Cross-Country Sandbox is One American Experiment That Should Probably End

STARTING SCREEN | Why Ubisoft's new racer is hampered by its premise, and all the rest of the week's headlines.

By Kat BaileyMonday July 2, 20187

Starting Screen | The Vita Deserves to be Remembered as More Than a Failure

STARTING SCREEN | An ode to Sony's handheld, this week's releases, and more.

By Kat BaileyMonday June 25, 201824

Starting Screen | Xbox Ticked the Right Boxes, But Shadows Die Twice is E3's Best Reveal So Far

STARTING SCREEN | The nightmare that is February 2019, Square Enix Avengers is a no-show so far, and more.

By Kat BaileyMonday June 11, 201811

Starting Screen | A Wii Tale of E3 2006: The Year Nintendo Shone on Stage and Sony Flopped Hard

STARTING SCREEN | E3 2006 is still an infamous show, and I was there. It was something.

By Nadia OxfordMonday June 4, 20184

Starting Screen | Is a Sequel More than a Name: The Curious Case of Rage 2

STARTING SCREEN | If an IP dies in the woods, should a publisher still slap a 2 on it?

By Caty McCarthyMonday May 14, 201811

Starting Screen | Happy Anniversary to Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, the Best Successor to Symphony of the Night

STARTING SCREEN | The humble Game Boy Advance follow-up to Symphony of the Night managed to live up to its predecessor—and even exceed it in some ways.

By Nadia OxfordMonday May 7, 201813

Starting Screen | Happy Anniversary to Persona 3 FES, Which Needs a Remaster More Than Ever

STARTING SCREEN | Kick off your week with Persona, Knuckle Sandwich's free demo, and Avengers: Infinity War.

By Kat BaileyMonday April 23, 201821

Starting Screen | Shenmue Remains a Cult Classic and a Cautionary Tale

STARTING SCREEN | Shenmue's dueling identities, Rampage, and more.

By Kat BaileyMonday April 16, 201817

Starting Screen | Persona 5: The Animation Has a Chance to Right the Wrongs of its Predecessors

STARTING SCREEN | The Persona series is one that's built on deep character development, which is not a short-term anime series' strong suit.

By Caty McCarthyTuesday April 10, 201817

Starting Screen | Happy Anniversary to Final Fantasy VI, Square Enix's First RPG for Adults

STARTING SCREEN | The older you get, the easier it is to appreciate Square Enix's 16-bit RPG masterpiece.

By Nadia OxfordMonday April 2, 201818

Starting Screen | Fortnite Battle Royale Won by Capturing the Minecraft Generation

STARTING SCREEN | Tomb Raider's ongoing success in the movie theaters, Ni No Kuni 2's excellent soundtrack, and more.

By Kat BaileyMonday March 26, 20185

Starting Screen | Finding Value in Supposedly Outdated Games

STARTING SCREEN | On what we can learn from Age of Empire's new release, Ni No Kuni 2, and more.

By Doc BurfordMonday March 19, 20186

Starting Screen | Video Game Scapegoating is More Shameless Than Ever

STARTING SCREEN | Thoughts on the game industry's big meeting with Donald Trump, this week's upcoming games, and more.

By Kat BaileyMonday March 12, 201814

Starting Screen | Monster Hunter: World Doesn't Need a Switch Port

STARTING SCREEN | And neither do a lot of other games.

By Kat BaileyMonday March 5, 201819

Starting Screen | Metal Gear Survive is a Flop, So Now What?

STARTING SCREEN | The uncertain future of Metal Gear Solid, Caty's Alt-Game Corner, and more!

By Kat BaileyTuesday February 27, 201825

Starting Screen | Kingdom Come: Deliverance Makes Me Wonder What Other Stories There Are to Tell in 15th Century Bohemia

STARTING SCREEN | Stretching the limits of the RPG.

By Kat BaileyTuesday February 20, 201821

Starting Screen | Dreaming of an Impossible Esports Olympics

STARTING SCREEN | Even though the IOC recognizes esports as a sport, the field has a long way to go for Olympics recognition.

By Caty McCarthyTuesday February 13, 20187

Starting Screen | All the Ways Monster Hunter: World Makes Its Hunts So Memorable

STARTING SCREEN | Why Monster Hunter: World's hunts feel massive but grounded.

By Kat BaileyMonday February 5, 20185

Starting Screen | Celeste Has Me Chasing the Seemingly Impossible Dream of a 100 Percent Completion

STARTING SCREEN | As someone who writes about games for a living, I usually don't have the time to chase 100 percent completions. Celeste is changing that.

By Caty McCarthyMonday January 29, 20185

Starting Screen | Finding a Place for the Linear Single-Player Experience

STARTING SCREEN | The linear single-player game isn't dead, but it is on the struggle.

By Mike WilliamsMonday January 22, 201819

Starting Screen | It's Hard to Play New Games When There Are So Many Exciting Remakes on the Way

STARTING SCREEN | We'd love to get around to Monster Hunter World, but there's that little matter of Dragon Quest Builders coming to the Switch...

By Nadia OxfordMonday January 15, 201819