Arthur Gies

New York

Supervising Editor - Tech at Wirecutter

Painter. Supervising Editor @wirecutter. Author (Gears of War: Retrospective ). Co-founder — Polygon (the video game site!). aegies@gmail

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Articles

We Played the Nintendo Switch 2, and You're Going to Want One

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Arthur Gies

The Nintendo Switch 2 is almost here, and we got to play it. The original Nintendo Switch launched more than eight years ago, and while we’ve seen minor updates since, the new Nintendo Switch 2 is a meaningful upgrade in almost every way: It has a much faster processor, a bigger screen, redesigned Joy-cons, and new games you’ll only be able to play on Nintendo’s latest console. The Switch 2 goes on sale June 5 for $450—a $150 jump over the original’s starting price.
I Bought This Bed Frame 4 Years Ago, and I Still Can’t Stop Talking About It.

Nov 20, 2024 | nytimes.com | Arthur Gies

During the pandemic, I learned a hard lesson: My up-to-that-point reliable IKEA bed frame wasn’t cut out for a good mattress. This lesson came in the middle of the night as my partner and I were woken up by a crack and a sudden downward jolt. I lived in the Bay Area at the time, so we spent a confusing and terrifying few seconds wondering if the Big One had finally hit before I figured out what had actually happened.
The 4 Best Handheld Gaming Consoles of 2024

Nov 13, 2024 | nytimes.com | Arthur Gies

Video games might be the most fun when you’re sitting on your couch in front of a big TV or in a comfortable chair at your desk. But the best place to play a game can also be wherever you are. If you want the freedom to step away from your TV or desk, we recommend a handheld gaming console.
The Best Video Games of 2024 So Far

Jun 27, 2024 | flipboard.com | Arthur Gies |Haley Perry

Gaming21 hours agoDystopika Is A Cyberpunk City-Builder*aftermath.site - Luke Plunkett • 21hJust build the city, never mind the neural networks or megacorp diplomacyThe post Dystopika Is A Cyberpunk City-Builder* appeared first on Aftermath.
Behold: We Just Got a Sneak Peek at 2024’s Biggest New Video Games

Jun 14, 2024 | nytimes.com | Arthur Gies |Haley Perry

Every summer, video game makers show off new games coming later in the year, and Wirecutter was on the ground at this year’s Summer Game Fest to go hands-on with some major upcoming releases. From charming puzzle games to big-budget Star Wars adventures, here are the games we can’t wait to play in 2024.
Hellblade 2 thoughts: this is what time and money gets a former indie studio. | Arthur Gies

May 21, 2024 | patreon.com | Arthur Gies

Getting this out of the way right now: this is not a review of Hellblade 2. I've only played a few chapters because I was determined to finish Hellblade (the first), and it dragged on longer than I expected and I've got a life, so, thus far, I've only got thoughts. Generally, though, those thoughts are much, much more positive than I expected. To be blunt, I don't think the original Hellblade is a very good game.
Skip House Cleaning. Play These Cleaning-Themed Video Games Instead.

May 10, 2024 | nytimes.com | Haley Perry |Arthur Gies

Spring traditionally offers a chance to refresh your space to go along with some hopefully better weather—which is a nice way of saying that you’re supposed to clean up a winter’s worth of clutter. The problem is that spring cleaning requires a lot of work and time and patience. (Did we mention time?) Now, April is gone and spring is almost over, and you may be panicking a little, worried that you didn’t get as much cleaning done as you wanted.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau (not a) Review | Arthur Gies

Apr 22, 2024 | patreon.com | Arthur Gies

(Note: feel free to consider this not-a-review, if you like. I haven't finished the game yet, though I've put about six hours into it so far, on both a ROG Ally Extreme and a desktop PC. But I think this analysis holds.)I like Tales of Kenzera: Zau, but not as much as I'd like to like it. It's a cliche to say that this comes down to what the game does well vs what it doesn't, because that's basically every game, right? No game is good at everything (except, like, Link to the Past).
The Fallout show is Fallout 5, and Fallout Zero. | Arthur Gies

Apr 10, 2024 | patreon.com | Arthur Gies

The Fallout TV show isn't an adaptation — not really, anyway. Sure, in a way, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy's Fallout — and let's be clear, Fallout feels much more the product of the creators/showrunners of the first season of Westworld than it does an Amazon Production™, even if Amazon paid the $150 million to make it — is a kind of adaptation. But it's the rarest kind of translation attempt to bring a video game property into linear media: a sequel.
Why Everyone Can’t Stop Talking About Palworld

Jan 26, 2024 | nytimes.com | Arthur Gies

The internet can’t get enough of Palworld, a new video game with a surprising hook: Pokémon but with guns. In less than a week, Palworld has sold more than 8 million copies, has dominated Steam, and is currently more popular than Fortnite on Xbox. But there’s both more and less to Palworld than its surface-level resemblance to Pokémon. Here’s why everyone is playing it—and why you might not want to.