Australian games critic. Former Editor MMGN (MyPS3/My360/MyWii - RIP MMGN). Xbox Gamertag/PSN/Switch: Gryllis
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Articles by Ben Salter
Copper’s best years may lie ahead
Copper prices reached a record high in August, topping US$14,000 a tonne despite a year marked by trade policy uncertainty and conflict in the Middle East. Such levels would have seemed improbable only a few years ago, when the metal spent much of the previous decade trading between US$5,000 and US$8,000 a tonne.
Star Fox review: Take your own path again
Nintendo’s beloved N64 on-rails shooter returns with a remake that remembers why we kept renting it in the ‘90s. The Nintendo 64 was home to a legendary library of first party games focused on quality over quantity. The big hitters became classics that everyone had in their collection, but there was another category close behind: the classics everyone had played, but few seemed to own.
Resident Evil Requiem Review: Playthroughs on PS5 and Switch 2
Requiem celebrates 30 years of Resident Evil by carefully revisiting its past to combine the best of survival and action horror. After terrifying us with first-person horror, Resident Evil Requiem sees the triumphant return of third-person over-the-shoulder action.
Mario Tennis Fever Review: Coz I'm breaking
Mario's stranded as his baby self, and now he's rubbish at tennis. Mamma mia! Mario returns to the court in Mario Tennis Fever after his deluge of Aces almost eight years ago, following a similar game plan. The single-player content remains light and fixates on a series of basic mini-games designed to teach newcomers the mechanics, while its greatest strength is reaffirming that a notoriously solo sport is best played with friends in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond Review
Returning to Metroid Prime’s unique form of action-adventure after 18 years is like riding a bike. After a false start stretching back to E3 2017, Retro Studios returns with the first mainline 3D Metroid game since 2007’s Metroid Prime 3 Corruption. After such a long layoff, Nintendo’s clarified this is a new story that doesn’t infringe upon the completed Phazon saga of the original trilogy.
Call of Duty Black Ops 7 Review: A trigger-happy misfire
Fast and familiar multiplayer is letdown by Call of Duty's worst campaign yet. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is a tale of two halves. It returns with fast, frantic, and very familiar multiplayer modes which will continue to scratch the itch if you’re craving more after Black Ops 6 merely 12 months ago. But it also dishes up the worst Call of Duty campaign in the series’ history – or at least since it became the juggernaut it is today.
Super Mario Galaxy 1 + Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review
It's not a remaster, but it is a re-return with Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 on Switch 1 + 2 in 4K. Super Mario Galaxy was my game of the year in 2007 – and it was a joy to revisit on Switch for Mario’s 35th anniversary in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection 13 years later, before it was abruptly pulled from sale. Now it’s back, along with its critically acclaimed sequel on both the original Switch and enhanced for Switch 2, just in time for the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Super Mario Party Jamboree Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV Review
For those kicking-on, Mario’s hosting a precise afterparty with microphones and rollercoasters. Super Mario Party Jamboree arrived late in the original Switch’s life, rekindling our love for chaotic, competitive multiplayer with a couple of Joy-Con split in half and passed around four players. While Switch 2 has continued Nintendo’s multiplayer focus with Mario Kart World, nothing sparks neighbourhood noise complaints quite like a fully committed round of Mario Party.
Nintendo Switch 2 Review: The leader in handheld gaming
The Nintendo Switch 2 arrives as more of the same, in all the right ways, with the perfect balance between performance, design, usability and value. The Nintendo Switch 2 is a smart evolution of the 2017 handheld-console that defined the hybrid gaming system. The following years saw a raft of imitators and genuine competitors. But in 2025, the Switch 2 arrives as the best handheld on the market, pairing console-quality performance with Nintendo’s signature charm and usability.
Mario Kart World: How to boost at the start of a race
Learn how to get a rocket start every time in Mario Kart World. Boosting at the start line — known as a rocket start — is a staple of the Mario Kart series, and with 24-players, it’s more crucial than ever before in Mario Kart World. The timing for a rocket start is similar, but a little different in each Mario Kart game. To get a boost at the start of a race in Mario Kart World, hold down the ‘A‘ button (accelerate) as soon as the number ‘2‘ comes perfectly into view.
How to fix Nintendo Switch 2 TV HDR issues
Ensure your TV's tone mapping is set correctly for the best HDR support on Switch 2. The Nintendo Switch 2 introduces high dynamic range (HDR) in both handheld and docked mode. It requires calibration the first time the console is connected to a HDR compatible TV. If your Switch 2 looks washed out or incorrect when HDR is enabled on a TV compared to handheld mode, it may be a setting that’s enabled by default on your TV.
AFL 26 Review: Holding the ball
AFL 26 is on the way up the ladder, but still trips over familiar problems. AFL 26 arrives partway through the 2025 AFL season, with an opportunity for some to mimic their team’s road to glory and others to rectify a disastrous start through fantasy, while they call for heads to roll. It builds upon the shaky foundations of AFL 23, which was panned by players for launching plagued with crippling bugs and glitches and a lack of meaningful career mode, which saw it quickly fade into obscurity.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Review: Crawling undercover of darkness
Full size Assassin's Creed is back. Can it reduce the clutter but not the content? Assassin’s Creed Shadows returns to the series’ expansive open-world RPG formula but buries the bloat to deliver a more structured experience without cutting content. This style of Assassin’s Creed launched the new hardware over 4 years ago with Valhalla. Since then, we’ve had a welcome return to the smaller scale assassin-focus of the Ezio era with Mirage.
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 Review: A cross-play headset
The best gaming headset money can buy for anyone who plays on both Xbox and PlayStation. When looking for a new gaming headset, comfort and sound quality are the non-negotiables. A decent battery life isn’t far behind. But as a multi-console player, I’ve grown to realise I want more – one headset to easily cover them all. That’s exactly what the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 brings to the table.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Review
MachineGames has made a classic Indy game that returns the hero to his prime. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle should officially be considered the sixth instalment in the fabled franchise. I have no idea if LucasFilm is pondering bringing back 82-year-old Harrison Ford to mirror his on-screen dad’s pledge to never say never again. But I hope they don’t, because the Great Circle delivers a compelling, genuinely awesome Indy adventure that rivals the films – and is even better than some of them.
Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Review: A stunning return to form
Black Ops takes us back to the '90s with action-packed multiplayer and a stealthy spy thriller campaign. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is a stellar return to form for the series. It shows why the rotating formula has kept it atop sales charts with each annual instalment after a consecutive dose of Modern Warfare 2 + 3, which fell flat with an expansion masquerading as a full price release last year. Black Ops 6 is the course correction we were looking for.
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Review
FromSoftware returns with the perfect encore to Elden Ring to further fuel the addiction. I was among the newcomers who propelled FromSoftware into the mainstream with the cultural revolution that was Elden Ring. I’d dabbled with Soulsbourne games before, but it never clicked. Elden Ring was different; though not immediately, so I’d encourage anyone caught up in the reinvigorated hype to give it a proper chance. Keep playing after the initial deluge of swearing, be patient, and it’ll soon take hold.
Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door Review
Paper Mario turns back to an earlier chapter to redeliver the best in the series. Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door gets a reprint 20 years after the whimsical storybook dazzled on GameCube. It expanded upon what made the Nintendo 64 original such a treat and perfected a turn-based combat formula we’ve missed ever since. RPG fans have been eating good over the past few years, with a flowing pipeline of varied remakes, rebirths and original roles to play. But it hasn’t always been this way.
Is 2024 going to be a quiet gaming year?
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 262! Ben and Steve are back, and sadly, twiddling their thumbs. Now that their piles of shame are smaller, is there anything new to play? Is 2024 going to be a quiet one? Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 261, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! (00:00) Welcome! (01:40) Review: Banishers Ghosts of New Eden (04:30) Review: Mario vs Donkey Kong (06:55) Review: Skull and Bones (10:35) Is 2024 going to be a quiet year?
The one after Xbox breaks its silence
Stevivor is an independent video games outlet that has serviced Australia, New Zealand and the world since 2009. We’ve been featured on Google News since 2014, and Apple News, OpenCritic and Metacritic since 2016. We were added to The Game Awards’ jury in 2017 and the Game Critics Awards E3 panel in 2018. Stevivor was named as Highly Commended in the category of Best Independent Media Outlet at the Australian IT Journalism Awards in 2016 and in 2019.
The one before Xbox breaks its silence
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 260! Ben and Steve have returned for the first Friendly Fire Show of 2024, and are talking backlogs, new games… and the elephant in the room that is the wait for Xbox’s business update. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 260, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week: (00:00) Welcome! How’d you end 2023 and did you get through a backlog?
Stevivor's holiday special 2023
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 259! Ben and Steve are back to send 2023 off (and talk more Alan Wake 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3). Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 259, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week: (00:00) Welcome! (02:20) Stevivor’s Game of the Year (GOTY) Awards 2023 (06:45) The biggest surprises of 2023, including epic shadow drops and redemption arcs (14:10) (Un)expected losers… and losses.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Game Awards 2023 winner
Welcome to Stevivor's Friendly Fire Show 258! It’s the end of the year, so you know what that means: video games award season! Ben and Steve are here to discuss the Game Awards and its GOTY, Baldur’s Gate 3. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 258, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week: (0:00) Welcome! (5:00) The Game Awards 2023 (32:15) E3 is cancelled… déjà vu?
GTA 6 is already breaking records
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 257! Ben and Steve are back to talk GTA 6‘s first trailer, the new Avatar game, and Phil Spencer’s latest Xbox interview. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 257, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week: Welcome (00:00): We’re back after a 2… or 3..
Modern Warfare 2.5 isn't our Game of the Year
There's a launcher for that. Ben and Steve are back to talk the latest CoD, Game Awards 2023 nominations and more.
Do we want to play console games on iPhone?
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 255! Ben’s back, and joined by Steve to discuss the latest in video games — including a new Zelda movie and games on iPhones — this week.
Super Mario Bros Wonder Review: The wonders of Super Mario's worlds
Mario remains on the top of his game, with plenty of new surprises. Super Mario Bros Wonder returns to the portly plumber’s traditional 2D side-scrolling, level-based, roots for the first time in a decade; at least properly. We’ve had re-releases and a double dose of choosing our own adventure in Super Mario Maker, but haven’t had a proper New Super Mario game that was actually new since the Wii U’s launch in 2012. Super Mario Bros Wonder is a new Mario game, but it’s not New Super Mario Bros.
The annual sports show
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 251! Ben and Steve are back and talking all things sports, including hockey, cricket, football and car racing.
Cricket 24 Review: Going around again
Cricket 24 returns with the series’ signature gameplay, but we can’t help but feel like we’re watching a replay during a rain delay. Cricket has always been Big Ant Studios’ crowning glory in the Melbourne developer’s roster of niche sport adaptations. The foundations of batting and bowling have been solid since it debuted without any official teams almost a decade ago as Don Bradman Cricket, and it’s continued to refine gameplay and expand its roster ever since.
Less is more Assassin's Creed
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 250! Ben and Steve are back and talking all things Assassin’s Creed this week, including Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Assassin's Creed Mirage Review: Smaller, but not lesser
Assassin’s Creed returns to its stealth origins with a more focused story. Assassin’s Creed Mirage looks to its origins and takes two steps backs to move… backwards. It intentionally strips away the filler and expanded gameplay to return to a more streamlined and cohesive story with clear structure. After several supersized instalments – and in a year dominated by prolonged adventures – Ubisoft has picked the perfect time to take Assassin’s Creed back to its simpler beginnings.
More Mario to go with your Super Mario
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 249! There’s no shortage of news right now and Ben and Steve on top of it all, recapping recent Nintendo Direct and PlayStation State of Play livestreams.
Xbox leaked its own 2028 next-gen plans
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 248! Ben and Steve return for another week, this time talking leaked documents… that Microsoft leaked itself.
All Starfield, all the time
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 247! Ben and Steve are back and are very excited to talk about September’s biggest game (so far): Starfield. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 247, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week: (00:00) Starfield! You can also check out Jay’s review here.
Ben Salter "Sublimation" Tour at The Old Bar, Melbourne
Ben Salter - solo artist, museum piece and founding member of a number of ensembles including The Gin Club, Giants of Science & The Wilson Pickers - is hitting the road in September on his epic "Sublimation" tour of Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
New Xbox Home removes the best feature
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 246! We’re about to embark on big journeys… and Ben and Steve are also trying to figure out if a video game console fits into those equations. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 246, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week: (00:00) Intros (00:40) Ben’s preparing to go to Bali — should he take a gaming device? (07:30) Steve reviewed the ROG Ally — maybe that’s an option?
Red Dead Redemption returns, unremastered at a high price
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 245! New games are old again! Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 245, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week: (00:00) Intros (04:00) Baldur’s Gate 3 is killing it with super high Steam numbers for a deep RPG (7:00) Stray Gods review (09:30) Atlas Fallen review (12:00) Rockstar is porting Red Dead Redemption to Switch and PS4 (20:30) This year’s COD is Modern Warfare 3 — which is weird (Sorry, folks — there’s no video this...
Pikmin 4 and other space adventures that aren't Starfield
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 244! There’s a new game that we’ve played! Sorta. Ben and Steve meet up to talk Pikmin 4, Everspace 2 and Exoprimal.
Xbox Live Gold in memoriam
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 243! Xbox Live Gold is no more — so it’s up to Ben and Steve to detail what’s happened, and what was good about Live in the first place.
9 in 10 classic games can't be purchased
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 242! We’re in a bit of a new release slump, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing for Ben and Steve to talk about. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 242, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week. Welcome (0:00) We’re still playing Final Fantasy 16 and Diablo 4 over this quiet period 87% of games released before 2010 are no longer for sale (2:00) What does that mean for game preservation and accessibility?
Pokemon Sleep offers a new chance to fit gaming into your day
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 241! Ben and Steve are back to talk sleeping and acquisitions. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 241, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week. It’s Amazon Prime Day! (0:00) Well, it was.
Final Fantasy 16 brings an action RPG to the masses
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 240! Ben and Steve are back to talk Final Fantasy 16 and Microsoft price hikes. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 240, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week.
Nintendo's wonder(ful) Direct
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 239! Ben and Steve are back on a regular cadence, wrapping up Summer Game Fest. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 239, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week. Nintendo Direct (0:00) Super Mario Wonder Super Mario RPG remake Who won the not-E3 of 2023?
Zelda has ruined other games for Ben
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 238! Ben and Steve are back to talk about the games they’ve been playing (since they last updated listeners back in April). Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 238, Stevivor’s long-running (and usually) weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week.
Travels, backlogs and Summer Game Fest showcases
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 227! Ben and Steve return! After a months-long absense, it’s time to chat Japan, backlogs and Summer Game Fest showcases. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 237, Stevivor’s long-running (and usually) weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week. Xbox and Bethesda Showcase 2023 (01:55) General thoughts (03:00) No CG, eh Aaron Greenberg?
The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Review: Freedom to succeed
This sequel may look very similar, but its creative freedom changes everything. The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is the most familiar a Zelda sequel has ever felt, at least on the surface. But as you take to the skies, and delve into the depths below Hyrule, that sense of déjà vu turns to pure elation. By leaning heavily on the world established by its predecessor, Tears of the Kingdom provides meaningful player freedom on a scale I’ve never experienced before.
Now E3 is officially dead (Part 2)
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 236! Ben and Steve are back for another week, reminiscing about the now-dead E3. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 236, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week. Goodbye E3 (0:00) When and why did E3 start to lose relevancy? Will it ever come back? Anything else to add (aside from memories)?
Now E3 is officially dead (Part 1)
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 235! Ben and Steve are back and talking about even MORE things going offline. Did we jinx E3 last week? Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 235, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week. Goodbye E3 (0:00) What was E3? Our memories of it BEFORE we ever attended. The first time we actually went – was it what we expected? Why it was so important at its peak.
3DS and Wii U are officially dead
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 234! Ben and Steve are back and talking about things going offline. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 234, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week. The eShop is closed on Wii U and 3DS (0:00) They didn’t feel that old It’s more of a big deal for 3DS – it sold similar to PS3/360.
Ya buyin' Resident Evil 4 remake, stranger?
Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 233! Ben and Steve are back to talk about the Resident Evil 4 remake. One loved it… and one loved it a little less. Welcome to Friendly Fire Show 233, Stevivor’s long-running weekly video games podcast! Here’s what to expect this week. Welcome (0:00) PAX AUS is back, baby! Resident Evil 4 remake (3:30) First, check out Ben’s review (… and Steve’s guides are coming later tonight!) Crash Team Rumble is a thing (36:50) … but what is it?
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