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Is games journalism having a midlife crisis? Insider Gaming's Mike Straw is confronting an uncomfortable reality for traditional games media: simply breaking news isn't enough anymore. The information is everywhere and usually free. What audiences increasingly show up for is personality, interpretation, discussion and opinion. In other words... basically what independent creators have been doing for years. I react to his comments and what they say about the identity crisis facing modern games journalism. Sources: - https://x.com/MikeStrawMedia/status/2089152120419135722 - https://x.com/longislandviper/status/2089462482033422464 - https://x.com/MikeStrawMedia/status/2087398318565474555 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2089486415444992440

The Wolverine situation keeps getting stranger. Brittany Morris, who worked on the story for Insomniac's Marvel's Wolverine, left the studio in February 2025, saying the departure was for personal reasons. Meanwhile, former Firewalk Studios character artist Mackenzie Patrick, who worked on Concord, ended up working on Wolverine. And now we learn Insomniac even included an accessibility option that selectively removes blood and dismemberment from WOLVERINE. I go through the people behind the game, the creative decisions and why the red flags... Sources: - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2089465953000243543 - https://x.com/Gazz_54/status/2089476485253919134 - https://x.com/poliwa_93/status/2089383752946635066 - https://x.com/Cyael/status/2089438643421081986 - https://x.com/khaliltooshort/status/2089439508353728619 - https://x.com/tokyosdaughter/status/2089435623769710848 - https://www.authorbrittneymorris.com/videogames - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/1971311082380943823

ROCKSTAR IS PISSED. The group behind the latest GTA 6 leak is attempting to frame its actions as a crusade against digital pre-orders, locked content and games becoming unplayable when servers shut down. But before anyone turns this leaker into some kind of consumer-rights hero, there are some HUGE red flags surrounding the apparent meme-coin angle behind all of this. I break down the manifesto, the alleged grift and why picking a fight with Rockstar over GTA 6 may have been a catastrophic mistake. Sources; - https://x.com/NikTek/status/2089836599421120565 - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2089822102962471080 - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2089793787451347421 - https://x.com/videotech/status/2089785119120761202 - https://x.com/NikTek/status/2089843544928502215 - https://x.com/StopKilingGames/status/2089892615923622375 - https://x.com/NikTek/status/2089774599001288795 - https://x.com/videotech/status/2089809565923631309 - https://x.com/8biteric/status/2089806878603674003

Is Bungie's future already pointing BACK toward Destiny? I react to Paul Tassi's latest video predicting what a new Destiny property could look like as Marathon's problems continue. Vault Breaker is officially over after briefly tripling Marathon's Steam population, only for the gains to disappear. Marathon peaked at just 4,330 Monday, down 95.1% from launch, while Destiny 2 has now beaten it for 72 straight days. Season 3 is still 35 days away. Sources: - https://steamdb.info/app/3065800/charts/#1w - https://steamdb.info/app/1085660/charts/#1w - https://x.com/PolishTamales/status/2089699914804810091 - https://x.com/LordCharizard33/status/2089884630836986309 - https://x.com/PolishTamales/status/2089769602431758560 - https://x.com/PolishTamales/status/2089878765061210142 - https://x.com/PaulTassi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHECGi2aVUI - https://x.com/PolishTamales/status/2089689724697165931 Thumbnail credit @NobodyHasSpoken

Nick Calandra threatened to sue me over my coverage of comments made by him and Marty Sliva of Second Wind involving Saber Interactive CEO Matt Karch. Marty said, “Luigi Mangione, where you at?” and Nick followed with, “We just need to start holding up a sign for Luigi.” In this video, I show the relevant clips, provide the surrounding context, explain what happened afterward, and react to the legal threat. Watch and decide yourself. Sources: - https://x.com/GeraltofGoonia/status/2088720454626226576 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvrJZ7ISogM&t=1047s - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2088761241225576577 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2089001285219672401 - https://x.com/NobodyHasSpoken/status/2089153376496099710 - https://x.com/JayViperTV/status/2088765237390365125 - https://x.com/MadamSavvy/status/2088789095644278932 - https://x.com/JayViperTV/status/2089057938123981201 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2088828373615186230 - https://x.com/SideScrollers/status/2089436062447796451

The Wolverine criticism continues, and now the gaming media is jumping into the fight. After Insomniac described the backlash as an unprecedented “onslaught,” we're seeing glowing coverage and defenses of the game while gamers continue raising pretty ordinary concerns about traversal, combat and design. I react to the MEDIA MELTDOWN and ask why mainstream gaming outlets so often seem eager to circle the wagons around Sony. Sources: - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2089457818500055147 - https://x.com/GameSpot/status/2089368000847896675 - https://x.com/poliwa_93/status/2089051563889148293 - https://x.com/BlueThunderReal/status/2087917094838927511 - https://x.com/TheRealZephryss/status/2088981855055839689 - https://x.com/SmashJT/status/2088993890124915064 - https://x.com/ALegendaryDrops/status/2089072679294796223 - https://x.com/Grummz/status/2089013401431498988 - https://x.com/JBishie/status/2089419878847426976 - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QH93rYHPjmY

Insomniac's James Stevenson says Marvel's Wolverine is facing an unprecedented, relentless “onslaught” of criticism. But what are gamers actually complaining about? Linear-looking traversal, basic action sequences and concerns over what Insomniac has shown so far. I react to Stevenson's comments, the community backlash and ordinary criticism raising even MORE questions about Wolverine. Sources: - https://x.com/GT2LGAMING/status/2089181750907879835 - https://x.com/GT2LGAMING/status/2089295357054230640 - https://www.instagram.com/jstevenson84/ - https://x.com/AI_EmeraldApple/status/2089114992629219424 - https://x.com/JamesStevenson/status/2088299251507830840 - https://x.com/Mangalawyer/status/2089183301525241865 - https://x.com/Cyael/status/2089035845596495969 - https://x.com/MasteroftheTDS/status/2089065945847529591 - https://x.com/tokyosdaughter/status/2089393864985419953 - https://x.com/mrttech24/status/2088089784333836346 - https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/2088928784179163296