Nick Cowen Journalist Profile

Articles

Editors Pick | The404

1 month ago | the404.co.za | Marcé Heath |Emily Stander |Nick Cowen

Remember when phones only had one job – being phones? Fast forward to today, and our devices demand far more from us than we ever anticipated. With endless notifications, screens that never sleep and addictive content everywhere, the smartphone has
The Day Of The Jackal Review - It's A Dirty World

Jan 31, 2025 | the404.co.za | Nick Cowen

It feels like a sign of the times that in The Day Of The Jackal – the latest prestige series to hit Showmax – there is really no one for the audience to root for. Cast an eye at current affairs and it’s easy to see why a story with no clear heroes resonates.
Dune: Prophecy Review – Game of Dune | The404

Nov 13, 2024 | the404.co.za | Nick Cowen

Now that House Of The Dragon (HotD) is finished for the year, viewers craving a similar kind of show – one set in a sci-fi/fantasy universe with a story crammed with sex, violence, religion and political intrigue – might want to cast an eye in the direction of Dune: Prophecy.
Call Of Duty 6: Black Ops Review – Safe, Steady, Dead On Target | Tech News

Oct 30, 2024 | the404.co.za | Nick Cowen

Atten-SHUN!!! You are disgusting maggots!! You know nothing in this life! You are nothing in this life! You don’t have your mommies around now to wipe your asses in this unit! You’ll do what I tell you to do! Any of you piss-spawn give me one word of lip and you’ll wish your father pulled out!!! The only thing you need to know at this stage of your pathetic, pointless existences is there is a new Call of Duty game in play! Call Of Duty 6 Black Ops, to give it its full title! Codename...
The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Review - An echo for every occasion

Oct 18, 2024 | the404.co.za | Nick Cowen

While she’s never been as disempowered as Mario’s Princess Peach, Princess Zelda has always played second banana to the franchise’s hooded hero, Link. Her roles in the Nintendo adventure series named after her have seen some changes over the years, but in the most recent Zelda titles, her characterisation has felt underwhelming. This is probably why The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (hereafter referred to as Echoes) feels like such a refreshing change.
The Penguin Review – Gotham gangland | the404

Sep 18, 2024 | the404.co.za | Nick Cowen

[Warning: This review contains spoilers for the movie The Batman]Anyone who has seen Matt Reeves’s The Batman will remember it features a few brief scenes of The Penguin, played by an unrecognisable Colin Farrell. Buried under a metric tonne of makeup and prosthetics, Farrell’s Penguin was a hard-bitten mob thug sporting a Brooklyn accent who looked like he would be more at home in an episode of The Sopranos than he would on the pages of DC’s Finest.It fits the look of the film.
Rebel Ridge Review – Hell is a broken system | the404

Sep 8, 2024 | the404.co.za | Nick Cowen

At first glance, Rebel Ridge is the most unimaginative and silly title the makers of this superb Netflix film could’ve chosen for it. It sounds like a title that would be applied to a B-grade movie about the American Civil War, in which CGI stands in for explosions, and the dialogue is groaningly bad.
Star Wars Outlaws Review - A galactic gambit with more Sabacc than substance

Sep 3, 2024 | the404.co.za | Nick Cowen

Star Wars: Outlaws, Ubisoft’s new stab at telling a tale set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, is a bit of a mixed bag. It’s a fun romp, no doubt – a story of high times in low company, and it nails the aesthetic and feel of the universe that’s familiar to millions of fans – but it’s held back from unqualified greatness by a genuine sense that it doesn’t know exactly what it wants to be.
Tango Gameworks lives!

Aug 15, 2024 | the404.co.za | Nick Cowen

About three months ago, Microsoft announced it was shuttering several video games studios for… reasons. One of the studios in question – and the one whose closure caused the most shock and outrage – was the Japan-based Tango Gameworks.
False Glory Review – Foul play | the404

Aug 14, 2024 | the404.co.za | Nick Cowen

When one thinks of South African sporting cheats, Hansie Cronje is usually the first name that leaps to mind. Here was a man who had everything going for him: preternatural talent in his chosen sport, the respect of his peers – both locally and internationally – and who was hero-worshipped by kids across the nation.