By Josh Ong It finally happened; Papi Kaplan delivered the goods. The long awaited and worst kept secret in gaming has finally hit the public test region. After years of competitive turmoil and volatile binary meta-switching between Dive & GOATS compositions, Blizzard has finally taken a stand on implementing changes that fall in line with their vision of the future of Overwatch’s competitive play. The … Continue reading Role Queue is here, and Overwatch is better for it

By Mike O’Brien |┬áÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔ£░Ô£░ Super Mario Maker 2 is a meta delight thatÔÇÖs all about creating, sharing, and playing Mario levels for all to enjoy. ItÔÇÖs a brilliant experience that turns game development into a game itself, allowing players to tinker with elements, styles, and themes from just about every mainline 2D Mario game since the NESÔÇÖ original Super Mario Bros. Chock-full of charm, splendour, … Continue reading Super Mario Maker 2 Review: A foolproof formula by fools

By Mike O’Brien Hey all, my name is Mike OÔÇÖBrien. You might recognise me as last yearÔÇÖs editor of Quench Technology. You might also recognise me as CSM 2018/19ÔÇÖs Best Critic, or, as your friends might have said, ÔÇÿthat guy in the office is wearing a coat and a turtleneck and itÔÇÖs kinda freaking me out. ItÔÇÖs eighteen degrees outside. The boy ain’t right.ÔÇÖ (He … Continue reading A message from the editor: Technology is dead, long live Download

By Alex Daud Briggs This yearÔÇÖs E3 was underwhelming. With the next generation of consoles fast approaching, itÔÇÖs clear that many developers are saving their bigger projects for next year. This is particularly apparent from Sony who didnÔÇÖt even bother showing up this year. Most of the press conferences this year were simply decent, such as Square Enix and Microsoft, with one outright poor conference … Continue reading And this year’s E3 winner is…

By Mike OÔÇÖBrien Tucked away in the High Street Arcade at QueenÔÇÖs St is a new venue: The Arcade Vaults. With Cardiff proving a hotspot for gaming culture, I was curious about what the Vaults could bring to such a crowded space – so I had a chat with its owner, Chris Munasinha, to learn a bit more about this new challenger. Walking into the … Continue reading An Interview with The Arcade VaultsÔÇÖ Chris Munasinha

By Mike OÔÇÖBrien |┬áÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔ£░ Disclaimer: Activision provided Quench with a PS4 copy of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for review purposes. Stick to this game and thereÔÇÖs a condescending line youÔÇÖll hear ad nauseum: ÔÇÿHesitation is defeatÔÇÖ. Grating, but true. Sekiro may be a new souls-borne-kiro-like (what are we calling these now?), but try to play it like Dark Souls and you will fail. In Sekiro, … Continue reading REVIEW: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

In light of International Women’s Day, here’s a word from former Q3 Editor Sarah Thompson about what it’s like to game as a woman in today’s landscape. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ IÔÇÖve been involved in the gaming scene since I was a toddler watching my mum play Tetris whilst desperately trying to figure out why my lines werenÔÇÖt vanishing. I canÔÇÖt imagine my life without video games; what … Continue reading Women in Games: A Personal and Industrial Journey

By Mike OÔÇÖBrien |┬á Super Smash Bros is a beloved series of games about video game mascots, mostly Nintendo characters, duking it out in wacky locales and chucking each other off floating stages. You probably played it round a mateÔÇÖs house, or as a score-settler for high-school trash-talk – but itÔÇÖs actually one of the biggest competitive games around, and its community is the centre … Continue reading In Defence of Melee, or: The EVO-lution of Smash

By Mike O’Brien | PlayerUnknownÔÇÖs Battlegrounds (PUBG) took the world by storm in 2017, putting battle royale on the map as the hot new gaming trend. Fortnite took it a step further, conquering the mainstream and inspiring teachers and politicians alike to floss on national television, upsetting everyone in the process. Ask anyone what the hottest new battle royale game is and theyÔÇÖll probably say … Continue reading And ‘Best Battle Royale’ goes to… Tetris?

By Ellis Garamszegi | Automation will revolutionize our society by drastically increasing efficiency and yield, but it will also render many low-skilled human roles redundant. Whether or not this is something to fear, or an opportunity to embrace, is a contentious topic. There are numerous ÔÇÿdullÔÇÖ jobs that exist which many people must work. However, these roles may not inspire much passion in those required … Continue reading Automation: Friend or Foe?

By Alex Daud Briggs There have been several titans in gaming, with brands like Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox duking it out at the top – but whatever happened to Atari? Atari feels like almost a ghost within the gaming world; while the brand still exists today, they havenÔÇÖt had any major game releases in years. It seems strange that a company who used to own … Continue reading Whatever happened to Atari?

By Ashley Sterio and Mike O’Brien | Overwatch Overwatch is a colourful, diverse, and brilliantly tactical team shooter – though calling it a shooter doesnÔÇÖt do the gameÔÇÖs breadth justice. Each hero plays like a character from a completely different game – from Reinhardt, the hammer-wielding behemoth, to Tracer, the time-bending akimbo adventurer, thereÔÇÖs a character for all skill levels and gameplay types. They each … Continue reading Quench’s Top eSports Picks of 2018

It wonÔÇÖt be long until the doors on your advent calendar start opening at a troubling pace – so hereÔÇÖs Quench Technology to do the thinking for you on what techie bits and pieces you should consider this Christmas! MarvelÔÇÖs Spider Man Veteran studio Insomniac Games boasts a number of iconic titles, ranging from Ratchet and Clank to Resistance – but PS4-exclusive MarvelÔÇÖs Spider Man … Continue reading Quench Tech’s Top Christmas Picks for 2018

By Mike O’Brien |┬áÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔ£░ Disclosure: Blizzard provided Quench with a press copy of Diablo III: Eternal Collection for review purposes. Diablo III: Eternal Collection is a must-buy for any self-respecting action-RPG fan with a lust for loot. If youÔÇÖve somehow managed to avoid the behemoth that is the Diablo franchise, itÔÇÖs a series of games about slaying monsters by the hundreds to score some sweet … Continue reading REVIEW: Diablo III: Eternal Collection

By Mike OÔÇÖBrien |┬áÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà | Disclosure: Rockstar Games provided Quench with a pre-release press copy of Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4) for review purposes. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a sublime Western odyssey. Its predecessor, though widely considered one of Rockstar GamesÔÇÖ maturest efforts, is a paler one in just about every sense. ItÔÇÖs by no means perfect; as with any game of this scope … Continue reading REVIEW: Red Dead Redemption 2

By Mike O’Brien | Mario is in your happy meal. Link is shield surfing his way onto Jimmy Fallon. You canÔÇÖt escape it: Nintendo is back, and their latest console – the Nintendo Switch – commands our collective gaze. To those less entangled in the games industry and its happenings, it may seem like Nintendo have lied dormant in the decade since the Wii invaded … Continue reading Making the Switch: How internal reform, a dose of young blood, and the spirit of an old friend saved Nintendo