Michael has been gaming since he was five when his mother first bought a Super Nintendo from Blockbuster. Having written for a now-defunct website in the past, he's joined Windows Central as a contributor to spreading his 30+ years of love for gaming with everyone he can. His favorites include Red Dead Redemption, all the way to the controversial Dark Souls 2.
Latest articles by Michael Hoglund

Xbox made its exclusivity decision a month before Gears E‑Day — here’s the timeline
By Michael Hoglund published
Xbox According to XBOX's Aaron Greenberg, Gears of War: E-Day exclusivity was kept a secret.

Gears of War: E-Day Direct showed me exactly what to be excited for
By Michael Hoglund published
Xbox Gears of War: E-Day shines and is quickly becoming the front-runner Xbox series.

We finally get to see some gameplay from State of Decay 3, coming in 2027
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming State of Decay 3 finally shows itself, and it's coming next year but it won't be exclusive to Xbox and PC.

Xbox Exclusives are back — Gears of War: E-Day skips PS5
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming Gears of War: E-Day is the first game to welcome back the idea of console exclusivity.

Asha Sharma just defined her mission for Xbox: To be "number one."
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming It seems the historically high profit margins no longer apply to the new CEO.

Xbox chief doubles down on exclusives as part of the platform’s identity
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming Xbox chief Asha Sharma says exclusives still matter, reaffirming they’re part of the Xbox platform’s identity as the company refines its long‑term strategy.

Forza Horizon 6: Best Drag Cars and Tunes
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming Drag racing is the pinnacle of Forza Horizon Festival racing, and an all-new multiplayer mode will keep you busy perfecting your ride.

Move over Forza, 'Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks' is the Ork version of Twisted Metal I've been hammering for
By Michael Hoglund published
ID@Xbox Vehicular manslaughter in the Warhammer universe is every bit as awesome as it sounds.

The time to replace your current game with REPLACED is now — All sci-fi fans on deck for a stunning experience.
By Michael Hoglund published
ID@Xbox REPLACED has taught me something I didn't even know about myself. Pixel art-style games can be awesome.

Forza Horizon 6 the most confident, refined, and fun entry yet
By Michael Hoglund published
Review Playground proves once again why they're the top dog when it comes to racing games.

Don't sleep on 'MOUSE: P.I. For Hire' on Xbox — Mickey Mouse it ain't
By Michael Hoglund published
ID@Xbox Allow me to introduce you to one of the best artistic creations since Cup Head.

'Pragmata' (Xbox, PC) Review — "A game that separates itself from humanity"
By Michael Hoglund published
REVIEW Capcom delivers another hit with Pragmata's dashing combat and expressive human story.

This side-scrolling roguelike is an ID@Xbox triumph. Say hi to 'Absolum,' your new addiction.
By Michael Hoglund published
ID@Xbox I’ve died more times than I can count, and I’ve never had more fun doing it.
GTA 6 hint from Take-Two CEO suggests we won’t face a $100 nightmare
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming $100 or not, plenty of people will break the bank to buy Grand Theft Auto VI at launch.

Xbox is getting one of the best Steam games from 2024 — and it's free
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming One of my favorite games from 2024 is getting a console release, and I can't wait to jump back in from my bedroom setup!

Forza Horizon 6 PC and handheld system requirements released
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming Playground has released the recommended hardware needed to power Forza Horizon 6, and it's not as bad as you'd think.

The Kerbal Space Program 2 is the scam that won't die
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming How this game is still allowed to be on Steam as an Early Access title is beyond me.

One of the best and most iconic games I've ever played is only $1 on PC
By Michael Hoglund published
PC Gaming Fallout: New Vegas for a dollar. Seriously.

OpenAI shutting down AI video app Sora — Disney exits $1B deal
By Michael Hoglund published
AI Open AI has announced that it's shutting down Sora, its popular AI video generation app and model that also powers Microsoft's Bing video generation service.

Epic Games lays off 1,000 employees — poor Fortnite performance to blame
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming Epic Games is laying off 1,000 employees as it struggles to maintain the "magic" and revenue growth of Fortnite amidst a $500 million budget shortfall.

From Mixed to Magic — Crimson Desert's Steam review surge to glory
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming The developers have been hard at work making changes, and the player base is steadily falling in love with the continent of Pywel.

Minecraft Dungeons is making a comeback — will a sequel fix its flaws?
By Michael Hoglund published
Minecraft It's hard to argue against a sequel for a game that saw over 25 million players.

Crimson Desert adds highly requested features within days of launch
By Michael Hoglund published
Gaming Pearl Abyss might need to be careful with how fast they're responding to feedback. We might become too accustomed to it.
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