SATURDAY · 17 OCTOBER 2026
SECTION
popular videogames, new releases
01 — VIDEOGAMES
A great video game save system does more than store your progress. The best designs communicate respect for the player's time, and the worst ones quietly destroy enjoyment without ever showing up in a review.
02 — VIDEOGAMES
A great video game difficulty system isn't just a slider that changes enemy health. The best ones reshape how you think about the game entirely, and the design principles behind them are more nuanced than they first appear.
03 — VIDEOGAMES
Great video game UI design lets players stay inside the world rather than wrestling with menus. The best interfaces are built around the game's mechanics and tone, not bolted on at the end.
04 — VIDEOGAMES
A great video game art style does more than look good at launch. The best ones support the game's mechanics, mood, and narrative in ways that hold up long after the release window closes.
05 — VIDEOGAMES
A great video game narrative doesn't just borrow from film or novels. The best ones use player agency as a storytelling tool, turning decisions into meaning in ways no other medium can.
06 — VIDEOGAMES
A great video game soundtrack doesn't just fill silence. The best scores are designed around interactivity in ways film and TV music never has to be, and those constraints produce something genuinely distinct.
07 — VIDEOGAMES
A great video game open world is more than a big map. The best ones earn exploration by making every corner feel like it was placed there for a reason.
08 — VIDEOGAMES
A great video game tutorial teaches without feeling like a lesson. The best ones drop you into the world and let the design do the talking.
09 — VIDEOGAMES
A great video game boss fight isn't just a damage sponge with a health bar. The best ones teach you something, raise the stakes, and make you feel the win. Here's what actually separates them.
10 — VIDEOGAMES
A great video game sidekick isn't just a helper. The best ones change how you see the protagonist, and the design principles behind them are more deliberate than they look.
11 — VIDEOGAMES
A great video game villain isn't just a final obstacle. The best ones reframe everything that came before them, and the design principles behind them are surprisingly consistent.
12 — VIDEOGAMES
If you've exhausted Skyrim's holds and still want that sense of stepping into a breathing world with no obvious edge, these open-world RPGs are the closest thing to a second fix.
13 — VIDEOGAMES
The GTA 6 rating in Australia is one of the most anticipated classification decisions in years. Here's how the Australian Classification Board works and what history tells us about the outcome.
14 — VIDEOGAMES
God of War Ragnarök raised the stakes on one of gaming's best reboots and mostly delivered. Here's what makes it stand out and where it asks a lot of the player.
15 — VIDEOGAMES
Picking the best Resident Evil game depends entirely on what you want from survival horror. Here's how the series' most important entries stack up against each other.
16 — VIDEOGAMES
Pokémon Legends: Arceus stripped back decades of formula and rebuilt the series from the ground up. It's not perfect, but it's the most interesting thing Game Freak has released in years.
17 — VIDEOGAMES
The Switch 2 OLED has become one of the most talked-about potential hardware revisions in gaming. Here's what the evidence actually supports and what Nintendo's track record suggests about timing.