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OpinionBorderlands 3’s Quest Cycling Option Is Amazing
I’m getting pretty sick of opening up menus in games, so when I realized I could just toggle through quests at any time in Borderlands 3, I was overjoyed In previous Borderlands games you could highlight a limited number of quests to pursue at one time. The latest game effectively lets you track all of…
By Ethan Gach Published December 19, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsI Feel Ready For The Future Of Video Game Streaming On Xbox One With This $15 Piece Of Plastic
Power A’s new mobile gaming clip looks like the sort of accessory I might have bought for my Game Boy Color back in the 90s. It’s a mess of black plastic that makes weird clicking noises and, to the untrained eye, looks like garbage. But it’s made my Xbox One controller into an excellent portable…
By Ethan Gach Published December 17, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsForza‘s Battle Royale Is Only As Cutthroat As You Want It To Be
A round of Eliminator, Forza Horizon 4’s new battle royale multiplayer mode, begins the same as one of my casual online driving sessions. It’s me in a car, bouncing and rolling across the countryside, trying to avoid other players. The main difference is that my choice of vehicles is extremely limited, and eluding human contact…
By Mike Fahey Published December 17, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsWattam Is Complete Nonsense And I Love It
At the beginning of Wattam, the latest PC and PlayStation 4 game from Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi, I control a green cube with a face and a bowler cap, sad and alone in a dark world. Then I make friends with a small rock. Then a large rock. I tip my hat to my…
By Mike Fahey Published December 16, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsControl’s New Combat-Focused Update Is Fun Even When It’s Destroying Me
When I first heard about Control’s new Expeditions mode, timed events based around combat that went live last night during the Game Awards, I was skeptical. Control is an atmospheric thriller, and while I think it handles third-person action combat well, it’s not the reason I’d recommend the game (which I definitely would). But here…
By Ethan Gach Published December 13, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsSeason Of Dawn Is A Nice Break From The Destiny 2 Power Grind
Destiny 2’s latest season features Saint-14, a legendary Titan whom players have been eager to meet. The only catch is that they’ll have to spend a lot of time doing boring stuff before they get to learn more about him. Season of Dawn, which went live on December 10, begins with the return of Osiris,…
By Ethan Gach Published December 12, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsBlack Desert Mobile Is Out Globally Today, And It’s Good
Black Desert, the fantasy online role-playing game with the character creator we wouldn’t shut up about a few years back, started on PC, then jumped to Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Last year, developer Pearl Abyss released a free-to-play mobile version in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Starting today, everybody can play the tablet-taxing MMO on…
By Mike Fahey Published December 11, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Avengers Game Has A Tie-In Comic About How The Team’s Troubles Started
Square Enix’s upcoming Avengers video game begins with a tragic mission that tears the superhero team apart. In issue one of Marvel’s Avengers: Iron Man, the first official tie-in comic book for the game, we learn that the team’s falling out starts long before the game begins. Written by Jim Zub with art by Paco…
By Mike Fahey Published December 11, 2019 -
OpinionRedBox Is Ending Its Video Game Rentals, And I’ll Miss Them A Lot
There’s a small stall that occupies approximately 10 square feet of the sprawling, glass-roofed warehouse where I buy my groceries. Inside are a handful of discs—a rotating shortlist of the most popular console blockbusters—that I can take home, try, and return for only a few bucks. Redbox, you’ve burned me in the past, but damn…
By Ethan Gach Published December 10, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsRazer’s Keycap Upgrade Kits Are An Easy Way To Make A Keyboard Pretty
Swapping out keycaps is the simplest way to personalize and beautify your mechanical keyboard, but finding affordable keycaps in the right profile can be a real pain. Razer’s new keycap upgrade sets are a pretty good solution, covering an entire standard keyboard in one of four different colors—green, pink, white, or black—for just $30. You…
By Mike Fahey Published December 10, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Video Game Version Of Paranoia Makes Betraying Your Teammates Fun
Paranoia is the ultimate backstabbing tabletop role-playing game. Created in 1984 by Greg Costikyan, Dan Gelber, and Eric Goldberg, the game is set in a dystopian future city ruled over by a computer AI and populated by horrible vat-born people all trying to betray one another for their own advancement. Paranoia: Happiness Is Mandatory, out…
By Mike Fahey Published December 9, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe X-Files Creator Also Made A Freakin’ Weird Show About Virtual Reality Soldiers In The ’90s
I’m not exactly sure how to explain Harsh Realm, one of the shows that X-Files showrunner Chris Carter worked on in the late ’90s, but I am going to try. I had never heard of Harsh Realm until recently. My boyfriend and I both have a fascination with shows that have only had one season,…
By Gita Jackson Published December 9, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Latest Assassin’s Creed Collection Is A Reminder Of What Made The Old Games Great
One of the most extraordinary things about the games in the new Assassin’s Creed Rebel Collection is their diverse subject matter: a game about being a pirate-assassin in the Caribbean in the late 18th century, a game about disrupting the slave trade in the same region, a game about being an assassin turned assassin-hunter during…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 9, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsKing Of Cards Adds A Fun Card Game To Everything That Already Makes Shovel Knight Great
Shovel Knight: King of Cards is the perfect reason to jump back into Yacht Club Games’ ever-expanding shovel-verse. The game’s terrific platforming and treasure hunting are back, but there’s also a great new mini-game now, and it’s all a blast to play. I wish every great indie game received the DLC treatment Shovel Knight has.…
By Ethan Gach Published December 9, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsIn AI Dungeon 2, You Can Do Anything–Even Start A Rock Band Made Of Skeletons
Plenty of games offer players multiple solutions to problems. Fight or talk. Stick to the beaten path or explore. Stealth or charge in like a conspicuously bullet-resistant idiot. A game that lets you do anything, though? That’s harder to come by. Released yesterday, AI Dungeon 2 purports to be one such game, and for the…
By Nathan Grayson Published December 6, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsModern Warfare‘s Battle Pass Is Surprisingly Good
Modern Warfare’s new Battle Pass gives Call of Duty the reward system it needed, while the new cosmetic store leaves room for improvement. Modern Warfare received its first major content drop on December 3, including new maps and modes for the “Season One” event that runs from now until January 28. This first season also…
By S.E. Doster Published December 6, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsBon Appetit‘s Test Kitchen Is The Only Good Job
Labor is a racket. You spend 40 hours a week, or more, making money for someone else, only to have to give a third of your much lower salary away to a landlord who doesn’t return your texts. Even in so-called dream jobs, you have to deal with pettiness, arguments, boredom, and workplace rivalries—all distractions…
By Gita Jackson Published December 6, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Latest Paper Mario-Style Steven Universe Game Keeps It Simple
In 2015, Cartoon Network and developer Grumpyface Studios released Steven Universe: Attack the Light, a simple yet delightful turn-based mobile RPG with strong Paper Mario vibes. 2017’s console follow-up, Save the Light, beefed up the series with intricate combo attacks and free-roaming exploration. A new entry in the series recently released for Apple Arcade, Steven…
By Mike Fahey Published December 6, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsMario Maker’s New Update Is The Closest Thing To Zelda II Maker We’ll Ever Get
Super Mario Maker 2 has finally leveled up with today’s release of the version 2.0 update. Some carefully-considered new enemies and items open up new creative possibilities, but the big change is the fact that Mario can now transform into Link, with a full suite of new moves that turn Mario Maker levels into Zelda…
By Chris Kohler Published December 5, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsPhoenix Point Is A Bigger, Messier XCOM
Phoenix Point is a new turn-based tactics game designed by Julian Gollop, the driving force behind the original XCOM, released back in 1994. In 2019, he’s back to build on the experience he helped pioneer all those year ago. Slight problem, though: he’s not coming in to fix anything that’s broke. XCOM 2 did so…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 3, 2019