
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

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.

Every indie game highlighted during the second Triple-I Initiative showcase
By Cole Martin published
Gaming The biggest names in indie development come together to show off more than 40 new titles coming to Xbox and PC.

Available now, this might be the darkest and most gorgeous metroidvania to hit Xbox and PC this year
By Cole Martin published
ID@Xbox Looking for a challenge to add to your gaming sessions? Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree just might be the punishing adventure you are craving.

Corsair's latest line of high-performance gear is a Call of Duty: Warzone collection
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Corsair and Call of Duty signed a multi-year, multi-brand deal for high-performance gaming peripherals before the launch of Black Ops 6. The latest drops is Call of Duty: Warzone themed.

Minecraft sees a boost in player numbers and sales after the release of "A Minecraft Movie"
By Cole Martin published
The success of "A Minecraft Movie" in theaters is leading to a

"The Alters" gets a June 2025 release date
By Cole Martin published
Gaming A new trailer for 11 bit studios' survival adventure, "The Alters", reveals the game's June 13 release date for Xbox, PC, and Xbox Game Pass.

Latest Moonlighter 2 trailer drops during Triple-I Initiative showcase
By Cole Martin published
Gaming 11 bit studios shows off a new trailer for its upcoming shopkeeping roguelike adventure, Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, with a new Summer 2025 release window.

The latest Witchbrook trailer confirms the life sim comes to Game Pass this winter
By Cole Martin published
ID@Xbox Grab your coven and experience everything the city of Mossport has to offer in Chucklefish’s upcoming isometric pixel life sim, Witchbrook.

Raven Software: Loadouts and omnimovement in Verdansk
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Verdansk returns to Call of Duty: Warzone. We asked Warzone Game Director Pete Actipis about omnimovement, Easter eggs, and recommended loadouts for the popular map.

When will Verdansk go live in Call of Duty: Warzone?
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Call of Duty: Warzone servers have been taken offline for the first time since the game's launch in 2022. Here's when you can play it again with the Season 3 changes.

Everything coming to Black Ops 6 multiplayer on April 2
By Cole Martin published
Gaming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 3 kicks off on April 2, here's what you can expect at launch.

ID@Xbox highlights six new games for March
By Cole Martin published
Gaming ID@Xbox showcases six indies released in March 2025, including Don't Nod's Lost Records, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered, and Afterlove EP.
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