Austin Wood
Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.
Latest articles by Austin Wood
![Metaphor: ReFantazio lead](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/R65m72ssHUrzbzCjXWhhFk-320-80.jpg)
Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of the few JRPGs I want more than Persona 6, and it might have one of the coolest job systems in years
By Austin Wood published
Feature Hands-on | Shin Megami Tensei and Persona creators take on a JRPG staple with unsurprising style
![Xbox Cloud](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LYvQnsyMojMLkmuwm7MSbP-320-80.jpg)
Microsoft confirms Xbox Live is down: "Some users have been disconnected" despite status website saying "all services up and running"
By Austin Wood published
news It's fine, says Xbox, which also says it's not
![Elden Ring DLC dueling shield](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iWMzFCaf6VuLQkYh7m7geT-320-80.jpg)
"Nerf inevitable": Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree players around the world are dunking on bosses using the DLC's absurd new dueling shields
By Austin Wood published
news There's a good chance this gets nerfed, and a non-zero chance it's bugged
![Fear the Spotlight](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GkjDU6EBguhZu3wjQUKZDa-320-80.jpg)
In just 10 minutes, Blumhouse's first horror game sucked me in with its lo-fi world, seance twist, and cute but quietly messed-up art
By Austin Wood published
Feature Preview | Fear the Spotlight gets an expanded re-release under Blumhouse Games
![Destiny 2 Onslaught](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ipd5CYUBJ6jqLwseSYNnPV-320-80.jpg)
Bungie heard the feedback on your favorite activities, so Destiny 2 will be "building on the Coils and the Onslaughts" going forward
By Austin Wood published
news Loot-heavy, fan-favorite activities have been folded into Bungie's plans
![Destiny 2 Episode 1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kAftnUSn8TAw2ekMnhc6qU-320-80.jpg)
As it teases Destiny 2 Year 11 with the codename Frontiers, Bungie talks what's next for its MMO: "We want to get back to expanding our worlds and world-building"
By Austin Wood published
News In what sounds like a big way, Bungie returns to "expanding the universe of Destiny in general"
![Destiny 2 The Final Shape](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/J5RWfoTrg67ENUbbc9AboZ-320-80.jpg)
Destiny 2 is getting a new Exotic mission in a few months, and Bungie says "it is one of the biggest we've ever built"
By Austin Wood published
News Act 3 of Episode One: Echoes is bringing a big surprise
![Destiny 2 The Final Shape](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YxXvp8hPa3uATkR3fNhEnH-320-80.jpg)
Episodes, the Dreadnaught, and Year 11: Bungie won't let Destiny 2 slow down after The Final Shape, even if it has to break the universe
By Austin Wood published
Feature Edge 399 takes us inside the making of Destiny 2: The Final Shape and into the future of Bungie's MMO
![Slitterhead demo](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6gRZLhTPqWaRgsMtU5hyA4-320-80.jpg)
Silent Hill creator's new action horror game Slitterhead is a rare breed that's exciting to see: mission-based, manga-inspired, and weird as it is bloody
By Austin Wood published
feature Preview | More action than horror, Slitterhead is a whole game built around swapping bodies
![Elden Ring Let Me Solo Her](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XNKFQ78byaq9QEv9JfqJGk-320-80.jpg)
Elden Ring hero Let Me Solo Her says Shadow of the Erdtree isn't too hard, "many people are just too harsh" and should "use everything at their disposal"
By Austin Wood published
news The Tarnished people's champion speaks the truth
![Elden Ring](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UXQa8kJ7ukqubdqdAysqFK-320-80.jpg)
"Elden Ring is really the limit": Hidetaka Miyazaki says he'd be concerned about pushing FromSoftware to make something bigger than its open-world RPG masterwork
By Austin Wood published
news "We’ve tapped every resource and talent that we have access to"
![Shadow of the Erdtree Rellana, Twin Moon Knight](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YiQm2ezKsAZnG6xn7Beme5-320-80.jpg)
How to beat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight in Shadow of the Erdtree
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide One of the first major bosses in the Elden Ring DLC is the Twin Moon Knight Rellana
![Destiny 2 Exotic Khvostov auto rifle](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/h3HBPHd3qbS29hjXSKbnPn-320-80.jpg)
After finishing its 10-year journey, Destiny 2 comes full circle as the first gun in the series destroys PvP after it's reborn as the new Exotic Khvostov 7G-0X
By Austin Wood published
news The Light and Darkness saga has brought us back to where we started: gripping Khvostov
![null](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XNkFV6uyYBeX5NLwjnomig-320-80.jpg)
Valve says "more players than ever are choosing to play Steam games with a controller," and nearly 60% of them are on team Xbox
By Austin Wood published
news Controller use on Steam has tripled in six years
![Hades 2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sgtQ5oFJ4DVmG7D5Puiyh4-320-80.jpg)
Hades 2 takes another big step forward with Patch 3, and the devs are "now focusing on our first Major Update slated for later this year"
By Austin Wood published
news It sounds like patches will be a bit smaller for a while
![Elden Ring DLC](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XUHcjTs8dAaKJmSfXPwUMc-320-80.jpg)
This Sorcery in Shadow of the Erdtree is the most broken thing I've seen since day-one Elden Ring, Intel or Faith builds can use it, and I can't believe it hasn't been nerfed
By Austin Wood published
news If it bleeds, this Sorcery can kill it
![Destiny 2 The Final Shape](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S8yN9zYhDvXcQDWYUAnYVF-320-80.jpg)
All Destiny 2 Exotic Class Item perks for Prismatic builds
By Will Sawyer last updated
Guide The Final Shape introduces an Exotic Class Item to Destiny 2 that lets you combine Exotic armor perks
![Elden Ring DLC Messmer](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pwZirBiTb5sSunVP8NViFj-320-80.jpg)
Helldivers 2 director stands by FromSoftware in the difficulty discourse as Hidetaka Miyazaki doubles down on making hard games: "Always cater to a select audience"
By Austin Wood published
news Arrowhead has been saying it for years: "A game for everyone is a game for no one"
![Berserk manga Guts](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UFH2Vgun5xJSCM8L8d2wpJ-320-80.jpg)
Elden Ring sleuth cracks Shadow of the Erdtree to unmask NPCs, finds a new nod to Berserk manga: "This is From's most Guts-like guy in a long list of Guts-like guys"
By Austin Wood published
news Turns out the Blackgaol Knight is a Guts lookalike under that helm
![Hyper Light Breaker](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d6VXZQFXpvnwScNR6LHdyZ-320-80.jpg)
I finally got to play my most-anticipated open-world game, and Hyper Light Breaker is just the roguelike I was hoping for
By Austin Wood published
feature Preview | Hands-on with Hyper Light Breaker, a bold follow-up to 2016's Drifter
![Elden Ring DLC](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hzMj54U7R6D3P3pitonyY4-320-80.jpg)
I'm convinced this small area in Shadow of the Erdtree is a reference to the Miyazaki-directed FromSoft game that started it all: Demon's Souls
By Austin Wood published
news Look me in the eyes and say this is a coincidence
![Kunitsu Gami](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7FhBRmNGkq6KUhhf39h8sg-320-80.jpg)
Capcom's weirdest game in years won me over in 10 minutes, and it's suddenly the thing I'm most excited to see from the publisher in 2024
By Austin Wood published
feature Preview | Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is sandwiched between Dragon's Dogma 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds
![Elden Ring DLC spear throw](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/misUAgN85c7babYwdMdDKe-320-80.jpg)
As CEOs chase infinite growth, Hidetaka Miyazaki says FromSoftware gets "better games and better decisions" from a "conservative forecast" with "room to fail"
By Austin Wood published
news FromSoftware is playing it safe even after Elden Ring's explosive success
![Metaphor: ReFantazio](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/589CR8QU2yF8yTjPVRD5iR-320-80.jpg)
"It's not like we wanted to distance ourselves from Persona": How Metaphor ReFantazio turned years of work on JRPG icons into what's now my most-wanted game of 2024
By Austin Wood published
Feature Interview | Director Katsura Hashino and character designer Shigenori Soejima, both Persona 5 veterans, dive deep on Metaphor: ReFantazio