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

War is Hell: This upcoming retro-inspired survival horror indie title showcases the trauma of war on Xbox and PC
By Cole Martin published
2 Spooky Catchweight Studio’s retro pixel survival horror has over 100K wishlists on Steam. Detailing the horrors and traumas of war in 1916, CONSCRIPT is coming to Xbox, PC, and other consoles on July 23.

Xbox has landed an exclusive trucking sim, with an epic sci-fi twist
By Cole Martin published
Space trucking Raw Fury showcased a new sci-fi-themed trucking simulator, Star Trucker, during the PC Gaming Show, and it’s heading exclusively to Xbox Series X|S consoles and PC on September 3.

Cross Gen bundle or Vault Edition—Which version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 should you preorder?
By Cole Martin published
Vaulted Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has multiple editions available for preorder, and our handy guide can help you know what is different between each one so you can preorder the best one for you.

One of the buggiest warfare strategy games I've ever seen is launching on Xbox and PC this fall—and I can't wait
By Cole Martin published
Release date Empire of the Ants, a real time strategy game built in Unreal 5 is a photorealistic take on ant warfare as you protect and grow your colony coming to Xbox and PC in November 2024.

No, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 won't require 309.85 GB of storage space at launch
By Cole Martin published
Size matters Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is estimated to require more than 300 GB of store space, but there are some problems with the estimate listed on Xbox.

The first DLC for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has been announced during Ubisoft Forward
By Cole Martin published
DLC 1 A new trailer for the first DLC coming to Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora dropped during the June Ubisoft Forward showcase. The Sky Breaker Story Pack launches on July 16.

Xbox president Sarah Bond announces three new pieces of Xbox hardware, including the all digital Series X
By Cole Martin published
New Xbox Xbox hardware is here to stay, as Sarah Bond confirms the next-generation of Xbox consoles are in development along with a reveal of three new Series X|S variants, including the all digital Series X.

The Xbox Showcase unveils a brand-new RPG from a fledgling studio coming to Xbox Game Pass
By Cole Martin published
New RPG Sandfall Interactive and Kepler Interactive unveiled a new RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 during the 2024 Xbox Showcase.

A new trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 kicks off the 2024 Xbox Showcase
By Cole Martin published
Black Ops 6 A Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 trailer was the first to be shown during the 2024 Xbox Showcase, with Phil Spencer taking the stage to address launch date parity for the multiplatform release.

Xbox leak confirms at least one major exclusive game for tomorrow's Xbox Games Showcase
By Cole Martin published
Leak Undead Labs, the studio behind State of Decay, leaked the existence of a State of Decay 3 trailer ahead of the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase along with a studio rebrand.

Among Us developer announces a new initiative to use their own success to help bring the next hot indie games to life
By Cole Martin published
Indies Innersloth showcased six new indies funded by the new Outersloth program, and they all looked like bangers.

Valorant is finally making its way to Xbox with Game Pass perks and a closed beta starting next week
By Cole Martin published
Beta Riot Games announced its free-to-play competitive shooter, Valorant, will finally make its way to Xbox with a closed beta on June 14.

So much for tempered expectations: Alan Wake 2 Night Springs DLC is announced at Summer Game Fest
By Cole Martin published
DLC inbound Alan Wake 2, the acclaimed thriller from Remedy, just revealed its first round of DLC content during the 2024 Summer Game Fest showcase.

Wholesome Pokemon-like "Creatures of Ava" shows off a new trailer, with a playable demo coming soon
By Cole Martin published
Catch 'em all Creatures of Ava will offer a peaceful alternative to Palworld's aggressive take on creature collecting when it launches on Xbox Game Pass.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone Season 4 — Battle pass, Blackcell, new maps and more
By Cole Martin published
Season 4 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Warzone, and Warzone Mobile are getting fresh REDACTED content as player anticipation for the next COD reveal escalates.

Developer behind Call of Duty cheats that were downloaded more than 72,000 times must now pay Activision a huge sum in damages
By Cole Martin published
Anti-cheat Activision declares victory in lawsuit against cheat developers EngineOwning, whose software had been downloaded to circumvent anti-cheat in Call of Duty and other titles.

How to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
By Cole Martin published
COD x Game Pass You can play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 day one on Xbox Game Pass, but how do you sign up? We got you covered.

XDefiant for Xbox review: The only thing this "Call of Duty killer" is destroying is my remaining goodwill toward Ubisoft
By Cole Martin last updated
XDenied I can’t believe Ubisoft canceled The Division Heartland, only to release this mess.

Ubisoft's XDefiant has one huge advantage over Call of Duty
By Cole Martin published
SBMM I'm still not convinced it's going to be enough to topple the king of shooters, though.

Prison Architect 2 preview: a management simulator that I don't want to escape
By Cole Martin published
Preview Prison Architect 2 takes the keys from the genre guards and breaks out of its 2D cell to become the 3D prison management simulator, and we're ready to serve our sentence.

Top Microsoft Office Deals You Can Get Right Now
By Cole Martin published
The right prices from the right suppliers

Call of Duty Endowment celebrates veterans this Military Appreciation Month with new in-game challenge
By Cole Martin published
C.O.D.E. The Call of Duty Endowment receives its largest private donation and kicks off Military Appreciation Month with new C.O.D.E. packs in the Call of Duty shop along with in-game events.

Call of Duty leaks detail possible crossovers with 'Fallout,' 'Gundam,' and 'The Crow' in the works for MW3 Season 4
By Cole Martin published
Crossovers Call of Duty's Season 4 content drop is expected to feature events and operator bundles tied to Fallout, Gundam, and The Crow according to code dug up by data miners.

Indika PC review: A quintessential indie experience that proves the devil is in the details
By Cole Martin published
Review The sisters of the convent may not love Indika, but this experimental art-house puzzle game full of dark humor and psychological horror has certainly found a way into my heart.

Best drawing tablets 2024: Digital tablets for kids, beginners, PC, and more
By Cole Martin published
For artists Drawing tablets can be an expensive investment, and choosing the right one can feel daunting. We've picked through the best ones to help you find the right tablet for beginners, kids, and more.
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