
Cole Martin
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

Meta may shadow drop a $399 Xbox Quest 3S within days
By Cole Martin last updated
Xbox Xbox and Meta have partnered to create an Xbox branded Meta Quest VR headset, rumored to cost approximately $399 and to shadow drop on June 24. Images of the headset have appeared on social media.

Knit sweaters, bake pies, and survive the cold in Winter Burrow
By Cole Martin published
ID@Xbox Cozy meets survival to explore safety and danger in Winter Burrow, a unique genre-mashup from Pine Creek Games that offers a more approachable survival experience with a storybook aesthetic.

Fatshark shows 7 minutes of Arbites gameplay in WH40K: Darktide
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Fatshark has unveiled 7 minutes of Arbites gameplay for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide ahead of the DLC's release June 23.

Add 8 great games to Steam library with this Humble Choice bundle for just $12
By Cole Martin published
PC Gaming The June 2025 Humble Choice bundle has something for everyone, with critically acclaimed titles across a multitude of genres costing less than your favorite coffee order.

11 bit studios' The Alters changed my mind about sci-fi games
By Cole Martin published
Gaming I don’t know that I ever expected a video game to completely uproot any sense of self that I had, but The Alters managed to do it.

At Fate's End from Thunder Lotus revealed during Xbox Games Showcase
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Thunder Lotus, the developers behind the heartbreaking indie Spiritfarer, has unveiled the action adventure game At Fate's End, coming to Xbox in 2026.

COD Black Ops 7 confirmed during Xbox Games Showcase
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Activision confirms that Call of Duty 2025 is a full release featuring a cooperative campaign, new maps, and more zombies. More intel is expected later this summer.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle DLC is on the way
By Cole Martin published
Xbox Bethesda has revealed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle DLC is coming to Xbox, Steam, and Playstation on September 4, 2025.

The RPG experts behind WH40K: Rogue Trader reveal new game 'The Expanse: Osiris Reborn'
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Owlcat Games considers The Expanse: Osiris Reborn to be its flagship title, even as the team continues work on the WH40K franchise.

Every game shown during the 2025 Wholesome Direct Showcase
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Grab a cup of tea and set your mood lighting just right. Here are all the cozy, comfy games highlighted during this year’s Wholesome Direct.

Techland drops a new trailer for Dying Light: The Beast with a release date during Summer Game Fest
By Cole Martin published
Kyle Crane is back, and he has brought gunplay in a new gameplay trailer with an August 22 release date.

Players aren't buying Call of Duty's "error" excuse for its in-game ads
By Cole Martin last updated
Xbox Call of Duty is wearing its community’s good will thin with its constant push for monetization.

Latest SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance trailer shows off combat
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Sega and Lizardcube release a new trailer showcasing the combat system in the upcoming action platformer revival of SHINOBI, expected to release this August on Xbox and PC.

Palia launched on Xbox, so I put 100 hours into the prologue
By Cole Martin published
Xbox Palia has finally launched on Xbox, and this time-sink of a cooperative life-sim MMO might just be the relaxing free-to-play adventure I’ve been craving.

Studio Ghibli meets Stardew Valley in this wholesome farm sim coming to Xbox
By Cole Martin published
Xbox Starsand Island is an upcoming farming and life simulation game where players can enjoy animal husbandry, carpentry, and more in a charming seaside village.

Call of Duty BO6 and Warzone Season 4 runs into multiple launch issues
By Cole Martin published
Xbox Season 4 went live in Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone this week, with various stability issues and delays causing issues for players on all platforms.

Retro fighter Blazing Strike is available now on Xbox
By Cole Martin published
ID@Xbox All that’s missing from the 2D retro arcade fighter “Blazing Strike” is the dusty old cabinet and a quarter slot.

7 things I want to see changed in Call of Duty 2025
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Anticipation for this year’s Call of Duty is ramping up. Still, as a longstanding fan, I have some grievances I would like to see the next premium game address.

Captain Blood is available now on Xbox after 15 years in development hell
By Cole Martin published
ID@Xbox Blood, sweat, and tears brought Captain Blood to its launch nearly two decades after it was originally cancelled.

Microsoft may dodge EU antitrust fine after unbundling Teams
By Cole Martin last updated
Software Following a complaint by Slack and an investigation by EU regulators, Microsoft unbundled Teams from Office. The move seems likely to avoid fines by the EU.

Best SSD for Xbox Series X|S in 2025
By Samuel Tolbert, Rebecca Spear last updated
Xbox With Xbox Series X and Series S demanding high-speed SSD storage, these are the best SSD external drives to expand your console.

Call of Duty disables Ranked Play in Warzone due to widespread crashes
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Widespread crashes on all platforms have led to Call of Duty's development team disabling Ranked Play: Battle Royale for Call of Duty: Warzone while a fix is investigated.

Critically acclaimed puzzle game Blue Prince is available now on Xbox, PC, and Game Pass
By Cole Martin published
ID@Xbox Blue Prince, available now on Xbox, PC, and Game Pass, is a narrative and environmental puzzle game with roguelike elements that will delight and frazzle even the most astute puzzle game fans.
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