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OpinionImpressionsThe Switch Just Can’t Handle Overwatch
With today’s launch of Overwatch on Nintendo Switch, there is officially a worst way to play one of the best games of all time. There are a lot of sub-optimal things about this port. The timing is inopportune, for one. Overwatch is landing on Switch three and a half years after its original release, and…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published October 15, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsOne Month Later, Apple Arcade Is Worth My Five Bucks
It’s been nearly a month since the official September 19 launch of Apple Arcade. With my free 30-day trial of the subscription gaming service on the verge of expiring, I ask myself if I’m getting enough out of it to give Apple five of my hard-earned dollars to keep playing. Having barely made a dent…
By Mike Fahey Published October 15, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Witcher 3 Does The Best It Can On The Switch
How did CD Projekt Red and Saber Interactive get the gorgeous, resource-hungry role-playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt running on Nintendo’s plucky hybrid handheld? Lots and lots of compromise and a fair amount of blur. The Witcher 3 comes to Switch tomorrow. On the tiny console, the lighting is flat, the textures are rough,…
By Mike Fahey Published October 14, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe New Digimon Mobile Game Is More About Bonding Than Battling
It doesn’t take a lot to win a fight in Digimon: ReArise, the latest digital monster game for iOS and Android devices. As long as your party is properly leveled up, the auto-battle function breezes through the turn-based team battles. The real challenge in Digimon: ReArise is collecting, raising, and training an ever-expanding horde of…
By Mike Fahey Published October 11, 2019 -
OpinionMore Dramatic Readings Of Video Game Patch Notes, Please
We’ve all been there: Your favorite game drops a big update, and you’re desperate to find out what’s changed. Then you slam face-first into the wall of text that is the patch notes, and your enthusiasm deflates like a punctured whoopee cushion. Reading is a lot of work. What if someone could just read the…
By Nathan Grayson Published October 9, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Latest Borderlands 3 Event Is A Great Way To See Rare Enemies You Might Have Missed
Borderlands 3 is currently running through a series of week-long events leading up to a big Halloween-themed blowout later this month. While last week’s legendary gear hunt was a bit of a bummer, developer Gearbox’s latest attempt to keep folks interested in their flagship looter shooter gives players the chance to fight some unique enemies…
By Ian Walker Published October 9, 2019 -
OpinionBlizzard’s Hong Kong Missteps Prove Video Games Aren’t Neutral
On Monday night, professional Hearthstone player and Grandmasters tournament competitor Chung “blitzchung” Ng Wai gave an interview. At the end of his interview, Chung expressed support for the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, reciting a protest slogan and wearing a mask associated with the activists who have taken to the streets. His words set off…
By Joshua Rivera Published October 9, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsWarsaw Is A Tedious Take On Darkest Dungeon
Warsaw, released on Steam last week by Polish developers Pixelated Milk, is a difficult, turn-based dungeon-crawler set in the eponymous capital city at the tail end of World War II. My first few hours with it were spent vacillating between admiration for its unique setting and frustration with its combat and squad-building mechanics. The irritants…
By Ian Walker Published October 8, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThere’s A New BurgerTime Game On Switch Today, And It’s Not Bad
Launching today exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, BurgerTime Party gives the Data East arcade classic a cartoon makeover, with burger-building challenges for up to four players. I’ve played a bit of the game and can safely say that dropping insentient food on sentient food never gets old. There’s a reason game makers keep coming back…
By Mike Fahey Published October 8, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsTrine 4 Is A Triumphant Return To Form
Trine and Trine 2 are a pair of gorgeous 2.5D physics-based puzzle platformers. For the third installment, Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power, developer Frozenbyte tried to work full 3D gameplay into the mix, resulting in a shorter, less satisfying game. Trine 4: The Nightmare Price, out October 9 for the PC, PlayStation 4, Switch,…
By Mike Fahey Published October 7, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsBeing Able To Play Mario Maker Online With Friends Makes It Even Better
Last week, Super Mario Maker 2 finally received an update that enabled players to matchmake with friends online, a much-requested feature that was missing when the game launched in June. Over the weekend, I played a few courses with two friends, and it was probably the most fun I’ve had with an online game in…
By Joshua Rivera Published October 7, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsIndivisible Is Overwhelming In The Best Way
Fifteen hours into Indivisible, the long-awaited action role-playing game from Skullgirls creator Lab Zero, I’m still meeting new playable characters and discovering new ways to explore its gorgeous 2D world. I’m overwhelmed every time I play, and I love it. First announced in 2015, Indivisible is an action RPG that comes out Tuesday for PC,…
By Mike Fahey Published October 7, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsAdventure Time Creator’s New Card Game Has The Same Appeal As The Show
Card of Darkness has been my go-to phone game for about a week. It’s a tricky little card game, where you pick up cards from a board to fight monsters and traverse through dungeons. While I love the game, what also keeps me coming back are memories of Adventure Time Card of Darkness was made…
By Gita Jackson Published October 4, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Diversity In 80 Days Shocked Me, In A Good Way
80 Days, a game based on Jules Verne’s novel Around The World In 80 Days, is now available on Switch. Revisiting the game has allowed me to see myself and my culture in ways that aren’t always visible to me in video games. I am mixed race, with an Indian mother and a black father.…
By Gita Jackson Published October 2, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThis Week’s Borderlands 3 Event Isn’t Worth The Time
We’re currently in the midst of a week-long Borderlands 3 event, during which players can expect bosses to drop specific legendary loot with greater frequency. As someone still looking for a decent class mod, this was an exciting prospect for me, but after spending some time farming the bosses in question, I don’t see myself…
By Ian Walker Published October 2, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsGo Ahead And Do Every ‘Optional’ Tutorial In The Complex New Gundam Battle Game
Bandai Namco’s free-to-play PlayStation 4 mech combat game Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2 came out in North America yesterday. It features fast-paced multiplayer battles on land and in space that players will surely fail at unless they complete every optional tutorial and put in some time in the game’s practice area. I learned this…
By Mike Fahey Published October 2, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsDestiny 2: Shadowkeep Is Full Of Mysteries That Will Kick Your Ass
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is a lot to take in. In one fell swoop, the expansion resets player progression, institutes a new seasonal model for live events, and adds a wealth of new content. It’s going to take some time to get a grasp of the scope of things. Online, ever-changing games like this are less…
By Joshua Rivera Published October 1, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsDays Gone’s Free DLC Is A Refreshingly Goofy Arcade
Over the course of the summer, Days Gone developer Bend Studios has been adding a series of arcade-style challenges to last Spring’s zombie survival game. All of these updates have been free. Now that they’re all collected, they make for a really fun set of standalone activities with a couple of great surprises tucked in.…
By Joshua Rivera Published October 1, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsPlaying Ori And The Blind Forest On Switch Is A Little Strange But Brings Back Great Memories
It’s weird seeing the Microsoft Studios logo appear on the screen as I load a game on a Nintendo console. It’s also odd to have see my Xbox Live avatar and Gamertag displayed on my Switch screen. Everything else about about playing Ori and the Blind Forest on the Switch is pretty much perfect. Moon…
By Mike Fahey Published October 1, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsFive Hours With Ghost Recon Breakpoint
Ghost Recon Breakpoint is here, or is it hiding in that bush over there? Whatever the case, Ubisoft’s latest addition to the Tom Clancy video game canon is here with plenty of loot to find and bases to assault. Breakpoint brings a lot of improvements over 2017’s Ghost Recon Wildlands. Cool character creation, tons of…
By Heather Alexandra Published September 30, 2019