-
OpinionImpressionsThe New Total War Is Not A Complete Mess
Total War is a series whose games can swing wildly between “all-time classics” and “oh no”. So a few years back, developers Creative Assembly had a very good idea: in between major releases, they’d work on smaller, more experimental games, where they could test new ideas and features before rolling them out into the bigger,…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 18, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsEA UFC 4 Has Some Clever Surprises, But It’s Mostly More Of The Same
Sometimes, when an MMA fighter takes a couple years off, they come back transformed, throwing out so many new looks and techniques that it’s like they spent their entire time away in an extended training montage. Other times, they’re pretty much the same as before, but a little creakier, a little rustier, and a lot…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 18, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsSo Glad I Finally Discovered The Sci-Fi Puzzle Adventure Observation
“I am here.” You’ll hear that line often over the course of Observation, a puzzle-adventure game that came out last year for PC and PlayStation 4 and earlier this summer for Xbox One. (It’s also included in the Xbox Game Pass library.) If you’re looking for a short, satisfying adventure to help you weather the…
By Ari Notis Published August 18, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsEVE Online On Your Phone Is Enjoyable, If You Squint Enough
Officially launching this week on iOS and Android, EVE Echoes is all of the mining, exploring, transporting, pirate-fighting, fleet-battling action of CCP’s venerable science-fiction MMO in convenient portable form. See all of that tiny text? I might need a bigger phone. EVE Echoes wastes no time getting into the swing of things. Within the first…
By Mike Fahey Published August 14, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsFinal Fantasy XIV‘s Latest Patch is Surprisingly Full of Hope
After waiting through COVID-related delays, the newest patch of Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is finally available. Reflections of Crystal has had heavy expectations placed on it, with the patch’s trailer teasing the post-Shadowbringers storyline hurtling towards a well-earned conclusion, backed by the consistently excellent writing we’ve seen since the expansion’s release last year. But patch…
By Elizabeth Henges Published August 12, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2‘s Two-Minute Warehouse Demo Is Damn Good
The warehouse level demo for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is pretty bare bones. It’s just one skater, Tony Hawk, running two minute sessions through the remake’s version of the very first level from the original THPS. It immediately and without fanfare answers the question “Is this a good Tony Hawk game?” Yes…
By Mike Fahey Published August 12, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsDestiny 2’s Solstice Of Heroes Grind Is Back And Oh God Why
Hello darkness my old friend, please just give me the cool-looking Destiny 2 armor before I get too angry, tired, and full of regret. Destiny 2 has all sorts of grinds, but the annual Solstice of Heroes event has always felt uniquely pernicious to me. It’s supposed to be an end of year victory lap…
By Ethan Gach Published August 12, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsGTA Online‘s Summer Update Gives You More To Do With Your Yacht
Today’s Grand Theft Auto Online update, The Los Santos Summer Special, adds new missions, clothes, and 15 new cars, and also some small changes that might excite longtime players. While not the biggest or flashiest update, it’s a solid one that adds more to the ever-growing monster that is GTA Online The biggest addition with…
By Zack Zwiezen Published August 11, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsFast & Furious Crossroads Is Ridiculous
Though all of the action in Fast & Furious Crossroads, the star-studded video game side story to the long-running film franchise, involves driving a car, there are no speedometers. The only speed is fast. Unless you’re tailing a van owned by the Barcelona mob. Then it’s slow, though probably also furious. Crossroads isn’t a great…
By Mike Fahey Published August 10, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsI Played The Avengers Beta And I’m Not Excited
This past weekend I got a chance to step into the sneakers, armored boots, and severely distressed cut-offs of some of my favorite comic book heroes as part of an early beta event for Marvel’s Avengers. I was hoping my brief time with the game would quell the nagging feeling that it’s little more than…
By Mike Fahey Published August 5, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsEveryone Is Friends In Fall Guys, Until You Want To Murder Each Other
There’s a lot to love about Fall Guys, the new battle royale game out on PS4 and PC this week, but I’m here today to talk about all the friends I’ve made playing the game who are now no longer my friends. The whole “battle royale as a genre” thing has been so defined by…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsFrog Fractions‘ New $8 Hat DLC Contains A Lot More Than Just A Hat
Yesterday, Frog Fractions, the notorious 2012 browser game that is much more than it appears, came to Steam with a new Game of the Decade edition. There is also a new $8 DLC pack that is, purportedly, just a hat. You will not be shocked to learn that it is more than just a hat.…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 3, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsLet’s Talk About Ghost Of Tsushima‘s Ending
Ghost of Tsushima has been out for almost two weeks. Maybe you’ve already finished it. Maybe you’re creeping up on the end and want to know what you’re in for. Maybe you love the game so much you don’t want it to end and instead want to read vicariously about the finale. Let’s talk. Heavy…
By Ari Notis Published July 28, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsOh No, I’m Hooked On Warframe Now
Warframe has been out for over seven years. For the longest time, I looked at it like Destiny or EVE Online—games that I find conceptually compelling, but that now contain so many systems I’m intimidated by the mere idea of starting. Well, I started Warframe the other day. Within a 24-hour span, I played for…
By Nathan Grayson Published July 24, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsHalo Infinite Looks To The Past To Bring The Series Into The Present
Everyone remembers their first big Halo moment. For some, it might’ve been crash-landing on a strange, ring-shaped alien world. For others, maybe it was the slow discovery of an all-consuming, nightmarish parasite. Or the realization that said ring-shaped alien world wasn’t actually a world but an interstellar superweapon designed to purge all sentience from the…
By Ari Notis Published July 23, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsCrossfireX‘s Campaign Doesn’t Seem Like A Remedy Game Yet
During today’s Xbox event, Remedy Entertainment revealed the single-player campaign for CrossfireX, the next installment of a long-running multiplayer franchise developed by Smilegate Entertainment. Later, I sat in on a preview of a single mission, which lasted around 15 minutes. Even with the folks behind Alan Wake and Control at the helm, I didn’t see…
By Ian Walker Published July 23, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsPanzer Paladin Is The Retro Throwback I Needed This Summer
My new favorite thing is chilling in the pool while trying not to drop my Switch in the water as I bash pixelated sprites in the face. This is more relaxing than it sounds. In fact, Panzer Paladin is the 8-bit inspired fuel holding my summer together. In Panzer Paladin, out today on Switch and…
By Ethan Gach Published July 21, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsRogue Company Is Fine, Just Fine, Nothing More, It’s Fine
Rogue Company is totally, utterly fine. There’s nothing remarkable about it and yet nothing inherently bad with it, either. However, is that enough in 2020, when we have so many amazing online shooters to play on nearly every platform? I’m not sure it is. Developed by Hi-Rez Studios, Rogue Company is a third-person team-based tactical…
By Zack Zwiezen Published July 20, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsOoblets Is All About Dance Battles, Cute Critters, And Chillin’
Dog fighting sucks. Not a controversial opinion, but one that always enters my mind when I see or think about Pokémon. While I understand all the reasons why folks claim it’s different, it still feels too much like that terrible “sport.” Ooblets, out now in early access, fixes this major problem with Pokémon and also…
By Zack Zwiezen Published July 18, 2020
