Nat Smith 💫
@stottybairn.bsky.social
Freelance games critic, reviewer, & writer. 💌 aproposgaming@gmail.com
🚨ANNOUNCEMENT🚨 Kicking off my freelance career in @edgemagazine.bsky.social #427! Privileged to make my debut alongside this lovely lot. Email in bio, DMs open. PR, add me to your lists! Editors, check your inbox! Let's talk critical reviews and features. My byline is ready. ✍️
It's Oblivion's 20th birthday, and I'm feeling maudlin about horse armor and DLSS 5.
Oblivion turns 20 today, and I need Bethesda to return to its roots for Elder Scrolls 6
It's Elder Scrolls Oblivion's 20th anniversary, and I'm feeling maudlin about horse armor, DLSS 5, and the uncertain future of RPGs.
pcgamesn.com
this is what I wrote about the same trend a couple years ago while reviewing Metaphor
1348 Ex Voto could have been the next Hellblade. It's a shame the lesbian knight game can't even fully commit to its lesbians. 💔
2026's "lesbian knight game," 1348 Ex Voto, is short on lesbians
1348 Ex Voto has been under fire for its "woke" protagonist since the demo dropped, but it turns out it actually isn't gay enough.
pcgamesn.com
Routine is a huge win for sci-fi horror fans who love clicky-clacky buttons, aka me. I want to put its film-grain visuals in my mouth and crunch them between my teeth. Cheers for the existential dread @routinegame.bsky.social.
After 13 years in development hell, Routine is a singular sci-fi horror that solves Alien Isolation's biggest problems
Lunar Software curbs its ambitions to deliver a compact yet deliciously tactile sci-fi horror game that's more than worth the wait.
pcgamesn.com
Oppy, I've joined a cult! Pacific Drive's Whispers in the Woods DLC has me flinching at crash-test dummies and the radio, but it's okay, because my station wagon screams whenever anything tries to grab it. @ironwood.bsky.social knocked it out of the park.
The scariest horror game I've played this year is actually DLC for 2024's best driving sim
The Whispers in the Woods DLC is the perfect excuse to return to Pacific Drive, and its horror is worth the pain of its new systems.
pcgamesn.com
Played Silksong. No "SHAW!" 6/10 www.pcgamesn.com/hollow-knigh...
Hollow Knight Silksong's difficulty spikes aren't bad design, you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time
Silksong finally breaks free from its cocoon to emerge as an instant classic that perfects the Metroidvania formula on an epic scale.
pcgamesn.com
I finished Date Everything! and have a hot take on how this portrays our relationships with objects.🔥From commodities to labor, this dating sim has a lot to say about things. How does this relate to gijinka and our fondness for things? Read more here. 👇 nicollelamerichs.com/2025/07/06/d...
Date Everything! and our Parasocial Relationships with Things
The 2025 dating sim Date Everything! is a cozy experience, set in your own home. The set-up is simple. You can date every object in the house, from your wall and ceiling to your coffee machine. The…
nicollelamerichs.com
My post-mortem for FBC Firebreak covers the 2008 financial crisis, Halo ODST, Hotel California, and how to become a Big Daddy in Bioshock. Pretty proud of this one. 🔥📉
FBC Firebreak is dead on arrival, and I’m not convinced Control’s FPS spinoff can be saved
As Nightreign snatches success from the jaws of mediocrity, Remedy’s FBC Firebreak dredges up the worst of tacked-on multiplayer.
pcgamesn.com
My feelings covering Summer Game Fest, in LA, as the daughter of a Mexican immigrant. pentopixels.com/article/summ...
Shout out to Rhys Darby for playing the Terraria day theme before his set and sending me into a spiral trying to work out where I'd heard it before
Played Nightreign. Didn't love it. Bon appetit. www.pcgamesn.com/elden-ring-n...
Nightreign's biggest issues can still be fixed, but until then, I'd rather be playing Elden Ring
A roguelike version of Elden Ring is all I've ever wanted, but Nightreign needs work before it can walk in the shadow of a masterpiece.
pcgamesn.com
Still on my remaster bullshit. If you're playing Onimusha 2 with analog controls, you're not playing Onimusha 2. www.pcgamesn.com/onimusha-2/r...
Mixing Resident Evil and Sekiro, Capcom's latest remaster proves that tank controls are still king
The Onimusha 2 remaster is a major win for videogame preservation, even if Capcom’s hands-off approach conserves decades-old flaws.
pcgamesn.com
Remasters are weird because I get to review my favourite games from 20 years ago. "I had my worries that we'd end up with the videogame equivalent of Cecilia Giménez getting her hands on a 19th-century fresco." www.pcgamesn.com/oblivion-rem...
After Starfield, Oblivion Remastered is the last gasp of a dying age for Bethesda
Oblivion Remastered transports me back to the simple joys of mid-noughties Bethesda, but nostalgia can’t save it from the UE5 jitters.
pcgamesn.com
it's amazing how I can track my ADHD flare-ups by how many tabs I have open at the end of the day
Thank you so much to Hoyoverse for the #gifted Charlotte Tilbury x Genshin Impact skincare collection! ✨ @genshinimpact-en.bsky.social
I have SO much to play and write so tell me why I just bought the God Eater trilogy on Steam like I have any time at all to play it (spoiler: it's bc it's like 90% off and £7 for the lot, BUT STILL).
Had the absolute pleasure of editing @tjohnlinward.bsky.social's Nine Sols retrospective. One of those pieces that's a privilege to read before everyone else. Take a look! www.pcgamesn.com/nine-sols/in...
The best Metroidvania since Hollow Knight came from the least likely developer
Red Candle’s creative director explains how an obscure Taiwanese studio went from cult horror games to Metroidvania soulslike Nine Sols.
pcgamesn.com
Bored with the sunshine? Why not listen to me rattling on about games with @stottybairn.bsky.social and there's Ben F from Rebellion to talk #Atomfall. Caution- this edition contains egregious mentions of @jonathanlhoward.bsky.social and user caution is advised. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...
BBC Radio 5 Live - Let's Talk About Tech, Game On - It's Cumbria, but not as we know it. And it's BAFTA time again!
Game On - It's Cumbria, but not as we know it. And it's BAFTA time again!
bbc.co.uk
Heeeere it is! I'm over on BBC Radio 5 Live with @adamrosserradio.bsky.social talking BAFTA Game Awards and Atomfall! 📻 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...
BBC Radio 5 Live - Let's Talk About Tech, Game On - It's Cumbria, but not as we know it. And it's BAFTA time again!
Game On - It's Cumbria, but not as we know it. And it's BAFTA time again!
bbc.co.uk
WHEW, just caught up on all my notifications! Thank you so much for the love, you're all so sweet. 💖
What do you MEAN an amazing opportunity has been sat in my Twitter message requests for TWO WHOLE DAYS??? 😃😃😃😃
Chuffed to bits - I've been promoted to Senior Staff Writer at @pcgamesn.com!! 🧡🤍🖤
Atomfall is this year's Pacific Drive: a survival RPG that's familiar but fresh, with enough mystery to keep you dialled in to its northern charm. www.pcgamesn.com/atomfall/rev...
Atomfall review - a survival sandbox built on the best of British sci-fi
Rebellion’s Atomfall is a delightful romp full of mystery, though its Bethesda-style trappings hold it back from the forefront of its genre.
pcgamesn.com
