Cole Martin

Cole Martin

Writer

Cole is the resident Call of Duty know-it-all and indie game enthusiast for Windows Central. She's a lifelong artist with two decades of experience in digital painting, and she will happily talk your ear off about budget pen displays. 

Latest articles by Cole Martin

Screenshot of South of Midnight.

South of Midnight to launch on PlayStation and Switch 2

By Cole Martin published

Xbox The announcement came just before the start of The Game Awards via Compulsion Games' social media.

Xbox
Playable beer pong in The Alters.

11 bit studios reveals free content update for The Alters

By Cole Martin published

Xbox 11 bit studios shadow dropped a massive free content update for The Alters during its first-ever developer showcase.

Xbox
Monsters approach the player character in this screenshot from Total Chaos on Xbox.

A DOOM II mod 20 years in the making is now on Xbox

By Cole Martin published

ID@Xbox One of 2025’s creepiest survival horror games is out now on Xbox.

ID@Xbox
Screenshots from Winter Burrow, Demonschool, Voidtrain, Dusk, and Dark Light. A graphic in the top right says, "WC ID@Xbox."

Our 5 favorite ID@Xbox releases for November 2025

By Cole Martin published

ID@Xbox Looking for something new to play? Here are our top five ID@Xbox indie games launched from the past month!

ID@Xbox
The Replacer in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on the holiday edition of Hijacked.

Call of Duty awards players with Black Ops 7 blueprints

By Cole Martin published

Call of Duty Peter Stormare's The Replacer returns as Santa to offer Black Ops 7 players free weapon blueprints as part of a social media promotion.

Call of Duty
Endgame disconnect protection for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Black Ops 7 patch adds disconnect protection to Endgame

By Cole Martin published

Call of Duty Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's recent patches fix some zombies and multiplayer bugs, as well as adds disconnect protection for the campaign's Endgame mode.

Call of Duty
A screenshot from Moonlighter 2 showing two characters resting their arms on a railing. A graphic in the top right shows the Windows Central logo and says, "ID@Xbox."

'Moonlighter 2' hits early access on Xbox PC, and it's amazing

By Cole Martin published

ID@Xbox Business is booming for Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault.

ID@Xbox
A Pioneer character in an orange jump suit with an orange helmet sits on a piece of factory equipment. The text "Satisfactory 1.0" is on the right side of the image in blocky, stylized font.

A game that should carry an addiction warning — the most satisfying factory-builder on Xbox

By Cole Martin published

ID@Xbox Coffee Stain Studios releases Satisfactory on Xbox, and it should probably come with an addiction warning. Here's what you need to know.

ID@Xbox
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 screenshot with protagonist, game logo, and 'must play' award

Treyarch pulls off a miracle: why Black Ops 7 is the freshest COD in years

By Cole Martin published

Review Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 expands on the first-person shooter franchise's formula with a new campaign coop experience, endgame, zombies, and more.

Review
Finding the Station Wagon in Pacific Drive.

Go for a joyride with Game Pass and Pacific Drive

By Cole Martin published

ID@Xbox Pacific Drive, the former PlayStation exclusive title from Ironwood Studios and Kepler Interactive, has parked itself on Xbox Game Pass with support for Xbox's Play Anywhere initiative.

ID@Xbox
Satisfactory screenshot showing machinery amid alien vegetation.

Satisfactory finally works its way to Xbox

By Cole Martin published

Xbox Coffee Stain Studios drops the successful factory building simulator, Satisfactory, on Xbox and PlayStation.

Xbox
Screenshot of the Undead Gunslinger from Blood West with WC ID@Xbox logo in top right.

Blood West blends stealth, curses, and cowboy grit in a haunting new Xbox release

By Cole Martin published

ID@Xbox Step into the boots of an undead gunslinger in Blood West, a retro‑styled stealth horror FPS where every bullet and shadow counts — now available on Xbox with Play Anywhere support.

ID@Xbox
Sledding Game, Aphelion, and Darkwood 2 screenshots from the ID@Xbox Fall 2025 Showcase event.

New indies coming soon showcased during ID@Xbox event

By Cole Martin published

ID@Xbox Every world premiere, update, and deep dive from the Fall 2025 ID@Xbox showcase.

ID@Xbox
Pacific Drive screenshots

Pacific Drive launches to Xbox with a new terrifying expansion

By Cole Martin published

Xbox Kepler Interactive shadow drops cult hit Pacific Drive on Xbox with Play Anywhere support.

Xbox
Promotional image for ID@Xbox.

The next ID@Xbox showcase is later this month

By Cole Martin published

Gaming ID@Xbox, the program that supports developers and publishers in bringing indie titles to Xbox, has a fall showcase planned for October 28.

Gaming
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2.

SteelSeries reveals new generation of Arctis Nova headsets

By Cole Martin published

Headphones A new generation of Arctics Nova headphones for Xbox and PC have been unveiled by SteelSeries.

Headphones
David Mason in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

Activision reveals anti-cheat progress from Black Ops 7's beta

By Cole Martin published

Call of Duty Activision's Team RICOCHET reports that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was 99% cheat -free by the end of its weeklong beta, and shares plans for new AI-powered cheat detection tools coming at launch.

Call of Duty
Keyart for Hotel Barcelona

Hotel Barcelona is basically a horror movie you can bleed your way through—now on Xbox

By Cole Martin published

ID@Xbox From Swery and Suda51, this 2.5D hack-and-slash is a love letter to slashers, cult classics, and modern horror.

ID@Xbox
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 reveal trailers, showing characters, weapons, and maps.

Black Ops 7 beta extended until Thursday

By Cole Martin published

Call of Duty We got a job to do — keep racking up those eliminations in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's open beta, now extended until Thursday, October 9.

Call of Duty
A promotional image from Call of Duty Black Ops 7 showing the main protagonist and one of his squad mates. Behind them are the words, "Call of Duty Next."

Call of Duty NEXT as it happens

By Cole Martin last updated

Call of Duty From multiplayer to zombies to Warzone, get all your intel for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

Call of Duty
A promotional image from Call of Duty Black Ops 7 showing a helmeted soldier holding a gun. In the upper right corner is a graphic with the Windows Central logo and the word "Quiz."

Test your knowledge of Call of Duty: Black Ops before the beta

By Cole Martin published

Call of Duty The Black Ops series is no stranger to plot twists. Take our quiz to find out if you can tell Black Ops fact from fiction before Call of Duty NEXT and the Black Ops 7 open beta.

Call of Duty
Promotional art for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 depicting armed men in a suped up truck driving over zombies.

Call of Duty's Zombies Survival mode coming to the BO7 beta

By Cole Martin published

Call of Duty Players will get their first taste of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's new Zombie Survival mode during the open beta in October.

Call of Duty
David Mason from Black Ops 7 with the text "Call of Duty NEXT" in blue and white.

COD Next to reveal Black Ops 7 gameplay

By Cole Martin published

Gaming Here's where to watch CoD NEXT so you can be informed on all of the upcoming Call of Duty content headed our way.

Gaming
Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition

Former VR hit Aliens: Rogue Incursion is coming to Xbox

By Cole Martin published

Exclusive The developers and publishers behind Alien: Rogue Incursion reveal a new trailer and Xbox launch date.

Exclusive
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 TEDD operator redesigned to be more gruesome and mature.

Treyarch shows it's listening to fans with newly reworked operator skin

By Cole Martin published

Call of Duty Treyarch reworks a preorder skin for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 to be more horrifying after fans complained.

Call of Duty
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