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OpinionImpressionsMortal Kombat 11 Has A Great Story Mode
Thanks to the temporal manipulations of a powerful new foe, past and present versions of iconic heroes and villains collide in Mortal Kombat 11’s story mode. It’s easily the most entertaining tale the series has ever told, and it leaves the future of the franchise open to exciting possibilities. When we last left our heroes…
By Mike Fahey Published April 22, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsGod’s Trigger Is A Hotline Miami-Style Shooter That’s Better With A Buddy
A demon and an angel need to kill lots of people to stop Armageddon. That’s the premise of God’s Trigger, a gory top-down shooter whose slick combat and interesting levels help make it more than just another Hotline Miami wannabe. Out this week on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, God’s Trigger sees you play…
By Ethan Gach Published April 19, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsSmash Ultimate‘s Joker Is A True-To-Form Tightrope Act
The highly anticipated Joker from Persona 5 has finally been added to the roster of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a platform fighter that’s rapidly reaching Wrestlemania levels of “everybody is here—even, somehow, that guy.” Thankfully, with Joker, Smash Ultimate continues to hit it out of the park with newly designed fighters who continue to be…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published April 18, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsA Bullet Hell Set In Hell That’s Heaven To Play
The first time I saw Hell Is Other Demons was through a lovely gameplay GIF circulating on Twitter. It looked squishy and lo-fi, oozing with thick colors. I hoped the rest of the game would live up to its bold aesthetic. Now Hell Is Other Demons is out, and I can’t stop playing it. Out…
By Ethan Gach Published April 15, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsFor A Game About Pot, Weedcraft, Inc. Sure Is Square
Weedcraft, Inc., a new tycoon-style management sim released today on PC and Mac, wants you to know that it’s cool. Hip-hop beats that wouldn’t sound out of place on a popular YouTube “lo-fi beats to study to” playlist fill the soundtrack. The art is grimy, but in a hip, DIY way, and the writing is…
By Joshua Rivera Published April 11, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsPathway Is An Indiana Jones-Inspired Tactics Game That’s Hard To Put Down
The year is 1936. Nazis are sweeping through North Africa and the Middle East excavating tombs and pillaging archaeological dig sites for mysterious artifacts. The only way to stop them is through a choose-your-own-adventure-style strategy game where death comes swiftly and often. While upcoming game Pathway doesn’t nail things perfectly, its juicy pixel animations and…
By Ethan Gach Published April 10, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsFalcon Age Is All About That Bird
The amount of enjoyment to be found in Falcon Age, a falcon-hunting adventure game for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR, depends on how much one falls in love with its feathered co-protagonist. Fortunately, the bird is ridiculously lovable. Falcon Age is a game about the relationship between human girl Ara and her bird, or at…
By Mike Fahey Published April 9, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsA Big Adventure In A Literal Sandbox
Supraland is a massive game. Cast in the role of the hero of a race of red humanoids in conflict with their blue counterparts, players travel sprawling fantasy landscapes battling enemies, climbing immense towers, and solving incredibly clever puzzles. It’s easy to forget the whole thing takes place in a young boy’s sandbox. To be…
By Mike Fahey Published April 8, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsBloodstained: Ritual Of The Night Doesn’t Feel Quite Right In Its Latest Demo
While at PAX East I finally had the opportunity to try Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. What I played left me intrigued but ultimately underwhelmed. Of all the Castlevania-inspired games due out this year, like Cyber Shadow and upcoming DLC for The Messenger, I’m now less excited about the one actually coming from one of…
By Ethan Gach Published April 8, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsSuper Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission Is A Very Japanese Card Game
Super Dragon Ball Heroes is an incredibly popular Japanese arcade trading card game. Players buy physical cards featuring Dragon Ball heroes and villains, form a team of seven and deploy them in battles via a specialized arcade cabinet. Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission for Nintendo Switch and Steam is the same thing without the…
By Mike Fahey Published April 5, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Original EverQuest Has Not Aged Well
Ten years ago I wrote a story about EverQuest, the online role-playing game I was so obsessed with it cost me my job and a relationship. Now I’m revisiting the game, playing on the new progression server opened to celebrate its 20th anniversary, and I can safely say I am in no danger of falling…
By Mike Fahey Published April 3, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsI Played No Man’s Sky VR And Almost Punched Sean Murray In The Face
I did not punch Sean Murray in the face when I played No Man’s Sky in PlayStation 4 virtual reality last week at a demo event in New York. I almost did, as I reached out to open the canopy of the spaceship I was virtually sitting in, but from the sound he made, I…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 2, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsOperencia Is A Treat For Fans Of Old-School Dungeon Crawlers
It’s as true today as it was in the early ‘80s—there’s nothing quite like the exquisite tension of exploring a creepy, creature- and trap-filled dungeon, square-by-square, in first-person. Operencia: The Stolen Sun, Zen Studios’ modern take on the classic dungeon crawler, is sleek, challenging, and incredibly charming. Players have been advancing through fantasy dungeons one…
By Mike Fahey Published April 2, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe PS4 Exclusive Iron Man VR Makes A Surprisingly Good First Impression
“We’re not making a rail-shooter. We’re not making an amusement park game. We’re not making a short demo or an experimental Iron Man ‘experience,’” game developer Ryan Payton told me last week in New York City after I had finished a demo of his studio’s forthcoming game, Iron Man VR “We’re making a full game…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 2, 2019 -
OpinionImpressions15 Games That Grabbed My Attention At PAX East
I spent the weekend at PAX East, and while I didn’t play nearly all of the games I wanted to, I got to play quite a lot and even discovered a few I’d never heard of that I’m now extremely excited about. Here’s a brief rundown of some of them, which is still only a…
By Ethan Gach Published April 1, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsRisk Of Rain 2 Brings An Excellent Roguelike To 3D
Risk of Rain 2 surprise launched in early access last week. The game is a followup to Hopoo Games’ 2013 Risk of Rain, a 2D roguelike platformer. Though it makes some changes to the original formula, Risk of Rain 2 is less a sequel and more the original game remade in 3D. This is great.…
By Riley MacLeod Published April 1, 2019 -
OpinionImpressions
The Elder Scrolls: Blades Is An Impressive Mobile Game With Annoying Chests
The Elder Scrolls: Blades isn’t the full Elder Scrolls experience. Instead, Bethesda has crafted a game that takes some of the key elements of the franchise and reworks them into a portable experience that feels built from the ground up to work on phones. But Blades also brings with it elements of mobile gaming that…
By Zack Zwiezen Published March 30, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Controversial Assassin’s Creed III Is More Impressive In 2019
It’s so refreshing to play Assassin’s Creed III now, nearly seven years after its controversial release. The game’s debut was marred by misleading marketing, a surprising game structure, and a lot of bugs, but I always liked the rough-edged yet fascinating adventure the game’s creators actually built. Playing the new remastered game on my PS4…
By Stephen Totilo Published March 29, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe New Power Rangers Fighting Game Could Use A Lot More Power Rangers
The colorful, spandex-clad martial artists of Power Rangers are the perfect subject for a basic but enjoyable three-on-three fighting game like Battle for the Grid. But with 26 seasons of television featuring more than 140 different heroes, the starting roster should at least be in the double digits, and not nine. I was super excited…
By Mike Fahey Published March 28, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsOutward Is A Merciless Fantasy Game Where You’re Just A Regular Person
When I began Outward, I found myself surrounded by a murmuring crowd of villagers. They were gathered not to cheer my impending heroic escapades or tell me that I was destined to kill god, but instead to inform me that I was in debt, and I had five days to pay it off before I…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 28, 2019