-
OpinionImpressionsNo Man’s Sky Players Are Spotting Pink Grass, And They’re Thrilled
No Man’s Sky’s massive updates have changed a lot of the game since launch, including planet generation. Somewhere along the way, some bright colors of grass were lost—especially pink grass. Players seem to have noticed their absence sometime after NEXT, last year’s update. It wasn’t that pink grass planets stopped existing entirely, but they were…
By Gita Jackson -
OpinionImpressionsDicey Dungeons Is A Good Entry Point For Deck Builders
Life is an endless barrage of decisions. Some are big. Should you look for a better apartment? Most are small. Some pulp or no pulp? Sometimes it’s fun to decide. Often it’s exhausting. The burgeoning scene of roguelike deckbuilding video games is full of decision-making. It can be overwhelming. Thankfully, Dicey Dungeons, isn’t. The newest…
By Ethan Gach -
OpinionImpressionsIt’s Like Old-School LucasArts Made A Game About Cthulhu With A Talking Cat
The Necronomicon is a legendary book of unspeakable evil and immeasurable power, capable of summoning creatures of mind-melting horror into existence or bringing about the end of all things. In the new PC game Gibbous: A Cthulhu Adventure, the abominable tome turns a perfectly normal cat into a talking one, and she’s not happy about…
By Mike Fahey -
OpinionImpressionsNo Man’s Sky‘s New Multiplayer Hub Seems Fun, But It’s Broken
No Man’s Sky’s new multiplayer hub, the Space Anomaly, is beautiful. It opens up new opportunities for players who want to work together in space. It’s also pretty buggy. Multiplayer in No Man’s Sky has been a journey. Although players believed (due to some vague and never-quite-explained comments from director Sean Murray) that they would…
By Gita Jackson -
OpinionImpressionsEven The Non-Fighting Parts Of The New Switch Game Astral Chain Are Excellent
Developer PlatinumGames does fast and stylish action incredibly well, and the Nintendo Switch exclusive Astral Chain is a continuation of that trend. But what I love best about the quirky new action adventure is the puzzle solving, world-building, and general goofing around that occurs between battles. In Astral Chain, the few survivors of a global…
By Mike Fahey -
OpinionImpressionsNo Man’s Sky Beyond Makes A Great First Impression, Except For The Bugs
No Man’s Sky’s Beyond update has the same pull for all the checklist and spreadsheet lovers out there as it always has, with a lot less of the frustration. As annoyed as I am that I can’t get into my old save for No Man’s Sky right now, I also can’t wait to play more.…
By Gita Jackson -
OpinionImpressionsThe Genesis Mini Makes Up For Years Of Crappy Sega Clones
Sega did mini consoles before mini consoles were cool. For well over a decade you’ve been able to buy plug-and-play Sega machines filled with Genesis classics. Of course, they all pretty much sucked, full of emulation problems and mediocre games. But the Genesis Mini is almost here, and it’s ready to restore Sega’s good name…
By Chris Kohler -
OpinionImpressionsI Found A Portable Monitor That’s Perfect For My Limited Desk Space
Since I became paralyzed last year, I’ve spent a lot of effort figuring out how to reconcile my need for quick access to game consoles with my limited mobility. Viotek’s new LinQ portable 15.6-inch touchscreen monitor appears to have ended my quest. It’s exactly what I needed to get all my gaming hardware in one…
By Mike Fahey -
OpinionImpressionsNew Free Steam Demo Is A Modern-Day Superman Game
The problem with making a game about a superhero like Superman is figuring out ways to impose limits on the character to make sure he’s not overpowered. Undefeated, afree superhero PC game created by a trio of students from Japan’s Vantan Game Academy, demonstrates just how unnecessary those limits might be. The nameless hero of…
By Mike Fahey -
OpinionImpressionsBlack Ops 4‘s Blackout Mode Now Lets You Play As A Zombie, But It Just Isn’t Fun
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 lets players die and respawn as zombies in the new “Pandemic” Blackout mode. Unfortunately, even an entire horde of zombie players are at a disadvantage in this limited-time mode. Pandemic arrived last week on PlayStation 4 (Xbox One and PC will receive the update on August 13) with the…
By S.E. Doster -
OpinionImpressionsI Love Mad Catz’s Bizarre Gaming Mice
Look at this piece of gaming hardware, all panels and buttons and weird pokey bits. This is the Mad Catz R.A.T. 8+ 1,000, a limited edition mouse celebrating the company’s 30 year anniversary. It’s emblematic of the odd but oddly-satisfying design choices made by one of the biggest names in computer peripherals. I love it…
By Mike Fahey -
OpinionImpressionsHamsterdam Is The Perfect Name For This Bite-Sized Brawler
Which came first, the name Hamsterdam or the game Hamsterdam? However Muse Games came up with the name for this charming tap-and-swipe beat-em up, it fits. Once little Pimm starts doling out the beatdowns, it’s like, “Damn, hamster.” Released earlier this month for iOS, Android, Switch, and PC, Hamsterdam is a story of sweet revenge.…
By Mike Fahey -
OpinionImpressionsAnthem’s Cataclysm Update Wasn’t Worth The Wait
A massive storm rages overhead. Spend too much time in it and you’ll die. Enemies stalk a handful of ancient ruins scattered around a rocky beach. Take too long trying to kill them and the mission comes to an end, booting you back to the overworld map. At nearly every turn, Anthem’s new limited-time, score-based…
By Ethan Gach -
OpinionImpressionsFallout 76’s Meat Week Lets You Grind For Loot By Barbecuing
Live games have come up with all sorts of creative ways to repackage the grind of killing things over and over again in the hopes of earning rare loot. Fallout 76’s Meat Week cookouts are by far some of the strangest I’ve seen, and I absolutely love them. Fallout 76 is often criticized for not…
By Ethan Gach -
OpinionImpressionsThe Samurai Shodown Limited Edition Neo Geo Mini Is Clearly Superior
Our original review called the Neo Geo Mini arcade-style retro console “cute, but an imperfect nostalgia trip.” The Samurai Shodown limited edition, released this week to celebrate the latest entry in the long-running fighting game series, is exactly that, but it comes with more stuff and looks so much nicer. I firmly believe that translucent…
By Mike Fahey -
OpinionImpressions2011’s DC Universe Online Finds New Life On The Nintendo Switch
On a large computer monitor or television set hooked to an Xbox One or PlayStation 4, DC Comics’ eight-year-old, free-to-play massively multiplayer online superhero role-playing game looks pretty rough. On a lesser-powered console like the Switch with its smallish handheld display, DC Universe Online is a perfect portable MMO. DC Universe never was a looker.…
By Mike Fahey
