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I Didn’t Expect To Like Bayonetta 2 So Much
There are moments in Bayonetta 2 that are such a visual feast, I wished I could slow everything down with Witch Time. Fighting an onslaught of demons and angels with hundreds of explosions assaulting the screen, I loved how Bayonetta always keeps her cool. What I didn’t expect was that the convoluted story, with some…
By Peter Tieryas Published January 15, 2018 -
Ninja Gaiden II’s Brilliant Use Of Weather
When I think back on the NES era, the Ninja Gaiden series stands out for having gorgeous cinematics, tough as nails gameplay, and amazing music. The first game had one of the most engaging stories of the 8-bit era. And while the second wasn’t as strong in the narrative department, it introduced a lot of…
By Peter Tieryas Published January 15, 2018 -
The Castlevania Game That Changed Everything
Symphony of the Night took the best elements of the Castlevania series, injected in RPG elements, and created one of the most compelling games for the original Playstation. A platform-adventure action role-playing game, it was developed by Konami and released in 1997 for the original PlayStation. A couple weeks back, Ben asked what our favorite…
By Peter Tieryas Published January 15, 2018 -
The South Korean Horror Game About Terrifying Schools And Strange Romances
A horror game from South Korean developers ROI Games and Gachyon Soft, White Day: A Labyrinth Named School is notable in being one of the few games released in the States I know of that has the Korean War as its backdrop. It also has the reputation for being one of the most terrifying games…
By Peter Tieryas Published January 15, 2018 -
The Melancholy Music Of Nier: Automata’s Apocalypse
The end of the world is here, and I never thought it’d sound so beautiful. Nier: Automata was one of the most intriguing games of 2017. With machines fighting androids over stakes grander than either could imagine, I was riveted by the story and its characters. The music accompanying the journey was sublime, but also…
By Peter Tieryas Published January 15, 2018 -
Ninja Kid Was My Very First Video Game
Good morning Kotaku! I’m Peter Tieryas and I’m your guest editor for MLK Day. Do you remember your very first video game? Back in the 80s, I had long seen the Nintendo at friend’s houses. When I finally got my own console, I was given the choice of picking out any additional game I wanted…
By Peter Tieryas Published January 15, 2018 -
12 More Of The Strangest Foods In Gaming
Food is such an important part of our lives, so I’m always curious about its portrayal in games, especially the stranger dishes. This piece originally appeared 11/23/17. I’ve had a lot of strange food (like the earlier mentioned Resident Evil 7 Brain Cake from the Capcom Cafe), seen weirder ones that I was too scared…
By Peter Tieryas Published January 10, 2018 -
Fatal Frame II Is Still One Of The Scariest Games You Can Play
There are some cultures that believe taking a photograph captures a part of your soul. Your job in Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is to fight horror by recording it. This piece originally appeared 10/26/16. Playing as Mio Amakura, you and your twin sister Mayu unravel the mysteries behind the gruesome apparitions haunting Minakami Village.…
By Peter Tieryas Published January 4, 2018 -
The Deadly Decisions of Persona 3
High school is tough and Persona 3 did a masterful job capturing the complexities of student life. Easily one of the best JRPGs I’ve played, the game gave players an extremely difficult choice near its end that still haunts me. With the New Year here, I thought it’d be interesting to revisit that choice and…
By Peter Tieryas Published January 1, 2018 -
The Brilliant Use Of Speed In Mega Man 2’s Quick Man Stage
One of the most extraordinary facts about Mega Man 2 is that it almost didn’t happen. Sales of the first Mega Man were low, and it was only with the special permission of Capcom’s vice president that development was allowed to proceed. But there was a catch. The staff had to work on it concurrently…
By Peter Tieryas Published January 1, 2018 -
The Sublime Battles Of The Last Story
I never thought my favorite part of a Hironobu Sakaguchi game would be the battle system, especially since Final Fantasy and Lost Odyssey are renown for their compelling stories and dramatic character arcs. But in The Last Story, the combat was not just the best part of the game. It represented a refreshing evolution of…
By Peter Tieryas Published December 31, 2017 -
Who’s Your Favorite Game Character Of 2017?
There were so many great games in 2017 with fantastic stories and equally great characters. Persona 5’s entire ensemble added something to the gripping narrative and I found myself sympathizing with all of their plights. Nier: Automata had an amazing cast of robots who were memorable and fascinating, even if most of them ended up…
By Peter Tieryas Published December 30, 2017 -
The Tragic Sidequests From Nier Automata’s Machine Village
Nier Automata is cruel to its characters. An action role-playing game from Square Enix, very few games have made me react as strongly to the story as Automata. While Yoko Taro’s games have always been disturbingly provocative as they dig at deep existential questions, the optional sidequests from the Machine Village exemplify what makes Automata…
By Peter Tieryas Published December 30, 2017 -
The World of Ruin In FFVI Is About Searching For Hope In Desperate Times
In Final Fantasy VI, the villains triumph. It’s one of the most shocking moments in gaming. As devastating at the moment is, the journey the protagonists take to defy the overwhelming odds against them is a message of hope during bleak times and represents what I most love about the series. Warning, spoilers abound!!! Celes’…
By Peter Tieryas Published December 30, 2017 -
The Trials And Tribulations of Shining In The Darkness
There’ve been lots of difficult games in my life. Shining in the Darkness was one of the hardest in my 16-bit era experience. A Sega Genesis game that was part dungeon crawler and part JRPG, Shining had a relentless enemy encounter rate and a Labyrinth that was very easy to get lost in. At the…
By Peter Tieryas Published December 30, 2017 -
The Dystopian Journey Of Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 2 is one of the greatest 2D action brawlers ever made and joins the pantheon of classic games like TMNT, The Simpsons, Double Dragon, and Final Fight. While Streets 2 has smooth controls, gritty bright environments, and outstanding music, it’s the narrative that gets expressed through the levels that makes it compelling…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 27, 2017 -
What’s Your Favorite Video Game World?
A few weeks ago, Kotaku’s community-run blog, TAY, had a theme week with a question, what is your favorite video game world? I’ve always loved the world of Phantasy Star II. It’s a utopian vision of a future where everything is provided for. A big AI computer called Mother Brain has created peace and harmony…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 24, 2017 -
Conker’s Bad Fur Day Is Irreverent Action At Its Best
I don’t think a game ever made me laugh so hard. Conker’s Bad Fur Day was developed by Rare in 2001 for the N64 and felt like a satirical middle finger to gaming and film that revels in mocking many of its tropes. It could only come from the creator of platforming classics like Banjo…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 24, 2017 -
How Beyond: Two Souls Helped Me To Share A Personal Pain
Every David Cage game is an experience, from the eerie Indigo Prophecy to the twisted murder mystery of Heavy Rain and the flawed but ambitious Beyond: Two Souls. Released in 2013 for the PS3, Beyond is an interactive drama action-adventure game about Jodie Holmes (played by Ellen Page) who has supernatural powers. This is largely…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 24, 2017 -
The Quirky Voyage of StarTropics
The journey of StarTropics was as varied as it was challenging, taking players from the tropical islands of the Coral Sea to the spaceship of an alien conqueror. In many ways, the game is what you’d get if there was an 8-bit version of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker fused together with Indiana Jones,…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 24, 2017
Peter Tieryas
Peter Tieryas is the author of the Mecha Samurai Empire series and Kill or be Killed. He's previously worked for places like EA, Sony, LucasArts, and Pixar.
Peter Tieryas's posts