Peter Tieryas

The Fascinating Visual Novel About Time Travel From One Of The Creators Of Suikoden

In Time Hollow, time travel is a painful, convoluted, and sloppy mess that makes history worse with every intervention. A spiritual successor to another game I enjoyed called Shadow of Memories, it actually took me a while to track down this obscure Nintendo DS visual novel that was published in 2008 from Konami. When I…

Who’s The Strongest Video Game Character?

If all the video game characters ever created got together in a big rumble, who’d come out on top? Kratos, the one who took down the gods of Olympus? What about Asura who fought off a deity the size of a planet? What about the ancients who wore Majora’s Mask and caused so much havoc,…

The Brilliant 16-Bit JRPG About The Death And Rebirth Of The World

Considered part of the Quintet Creation Trilogy, Terranigma was the culminating tour de force from the Japanese studio behind 16-bit games like Actraiser, Illusion of Gaia, and Robotrek. It was never released in North America (though it received a translated version in PAL), explaining why most of us here in the States, including myself, never…

7 PS4 Horror Games That I Hope Get PS5 Sequels

The PS4 had some great horror games. The best had a way of creeping into my mind subconsciously, lingering until a vulnerable moment and striking terror when I least expected. It’s interesting that with the increase in graphical power, the games that scared me most last gen weren’t necessarily the best looking ones; sometimes, that…

The Video Game Music That Helped Us Through 2020

2020 was tough. There were nights we wondered where and how this year would end. Just when things seemed like they couldn’t get worse, they did time and again. On every level, it was difficult just to get through the day. One of the things that helped us through was music. Specifically, video game music.…

How A Dark Time-Traveling Fantasy Game Became the Original Fallout

The end of the world was both darker and more humorous than anyone could have imagined, and in the original Fallout, released for the PC in 1997, gamers got to experience the apocalypse firsthand. The iconic, “War, war never changes,” introduction set the somber mood, which was written, strangely enough, during an episode of The…

Ys VIII’s Compelling Story Makes You Care About Every NPC

I always approach classics with a certain sense of trepidation, especially if I’m playing them outside of their original release window. Games that might have truly been remarkable in their day and age might come across antiquated and difficult to endure in the present, especially with how much game design has changed over the years.…

An Ode To The Games It Took Us Forever To Finish (Or How It Took Me Over Twenty Years To Finally Finish The First Suikoden)

Hi Kotaku! The last time I was a weekend editor for Kotaku was way back in February and honestly, that seems like a lifetime ago. So much has happened since then that even looking back at my old articles feels like I’m peeking at a time capsule from a different age. I’m honored, as always,…

A Return To The The Legend Of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time Reminded Me Why It’s Special

The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time is widely considered not just one of the greatest games in the Zelda series, but one of the best games of all time. The 1998 Nintendo 64 game felt vast. It’s story was epic. It made controlling a character in 3D space feel intuitive. It was Zelda…

A Link Between Worlds Is Still A Zelda Like No Other

I’m a huge fan of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but I hadn’t played all the way through its direct sequel on the Nintendo 3DS, A Link Between Worlds, until recently. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I like it more than the original. At first glance, A Link to…

Rygar Is A Non-Linear 8-Bit Masterpiece

I had no idea what I was getting into when I first put Rygar into my NES. I had borrowed the game, released in 1987 by Tecmo, from a friend who couldn’t make heads nor tails of it. He wished me better luck. I didn’t realize I was going to experience one of my very…

Thanks as always Kotaku for letting us host the site for the weekend! Hope you enjoyed our thoughts on Animal Crossing, the Xbox, Starfleet, Trails, the Famicom, robot revolutions and more. While all good things do come to an end, sometimes they can come back in mysterious forms. Cing, the developers behind Last Window and…

Who’s Your Favorite NPC In A Game?

NPCs can make or break a game. My PC introduced me to some of my first NPCs. In Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, a variety of NPCs were there to test your morals and virtues so you could grow as an avatar; as a kid, I really thought I was helping people by giving…

‘Shop Contest: Gaming Valentine’s Day Cards

This upcoming Friday is Valentine’s Day and Nintendo released a bunch of Animal Crossing inspired Valentine’s Day cards. I’ve never played Animal Crossing on Valentine’s Day, or any day for that matter, but these cards have me curious what this game is about and how groovy my day will go if I actually received one…

Starfleet, You’ve Changed

The final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “All Good Things…” was the best way to finish one of my favorite shows of all time. So I was thrilled, but also wary, of revisiting these iconic characters again. For the most part, I’ve been happy with Picard so far. The acting is superb, the…

Lost Odyssey Brilliantly Explores The Tragedy Of Being Immortal

Last month, I wrote about the first leg of Lost Odyssey and how much I was enjoying it. The second disc and first half of the third have been even better. The worldbuilding is mysterious and intriguing, with each new section making me want to know more about the immortals I’m playing as. The narrative…

The Brutal Lessons Gaming Taught Me About Revolutions, Robots, And War

I recently had lunch with a friend who works in tech and he posited to me the ethical question of how we should treat AI as they get more and more sophisticated. He mentioned how machine learning and AI has progressed in ways that would push even science fiction authors to disbelief. As their thought…

‘Shop Contest: Speaking Simulator Winners!

Hi everyone! I’m back to judge the shop contest for this week! Last week, Zack asked everyone to create some photos featuring the dude from Speaking Simulator. He’s on break this weekend and graciously asked me to come in a guest judge again. As I was going through the entries, I realized I was receiving…

Last Window Is One Of The Best Murder Mysteries In Gaming

The duology of Last Window and Hotel Dusk has become my favorite series on the original DS. The two games are noir at their best, involving murder, robbery, and explorations of the sordidness of human nature. They’re also some of the best written games I’ve ever played. It’s been a few weeks since I finished…

An Ode To The NPCs We’ve Robbed

Hi Kotaku! It’s Ben, Narelle, and Peter back as your guest writers for the weekend. It’s been too long! Since we were last here, we’ve traveled to many worlds, visited countless cities, and met some of the most unique NPCs in gaming. The one factor that they all share is that they have items, gold,…