-
OpinionImpressionsControl‘s Eerie Architecture Took Me Back To My College Days
I didn’t think that Control would have much in common with Allison Bechdel’s Fun Home, an autobiographical comic about her childhood in a funeral home and her later coming out as a lesbian. The comic strayed through my mind as I was walking around The Oldest House, though, and I now realize why: They both…
By Gita Jackson Published September 6, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsRiver City Girls Is Like River City Ransom But With Girls
For decades, old-school beat-em up fans have been following the adventures of River City Ransom heroes Kunio and Riki, a pair of high school tough guys with a knack for rescuing their girlfriends from thugs. Wayforward’s River City Girls turns that tired formula on its head. It’s an utterly charming old-school brawler where the girlfriends…
By Mike Fahey Published September 5, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsCatherine: Full Body’s Successes Make Its Reductive Gender Tropes Sting So Much More
“It’s aged nicely, with a sensual flavor, not unlike a fine wine,” purrs Trisha in Atlus’ Catherine: Full Body while sipping a glass of red, describing the “program” on the analogue TV on the bar next to her. A gentle haze of golden sparkles twinkle around the gigantic red afro puffs bouncing on either side…
By Natalie Degraffinried Published September 5, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsBanjo And Kazooie Are A Puzzle In Smash Ultimate
At long last, Banjo and Kazooie are in Super Smash Bros. “At long last,” I say, because the bear and Breegull duo have been some of the most requested additions to Nintendo’s mascot-based fighter for years. As players puzzle their way through the fighters’ toolkit, they’ve come across a couple surprises and not as many…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published September 5, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsWilmot’s Warehouse Is A Great Puzzle Game
When I first saw people on Twitter praising Wilmot’s Warehouse, a new puzzle game for computers and Switch, I didn’t get it. It looked like a game about moving blocks around, and I figured it was just about grabbing things from one place and bringing them to another. After spending some time with it, I’ve…
By Riley MacLeod Published September 4, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsDisintegration Looks Like Destiny But Definitely Doesn’t Play Like It
If you follow video game news relatively closely, you probably know Disintegration as “that upcoming game by one of the co-creators of Halo” or “that game that looked a lot like Destiny in its reveal trailer.” In reality, however, the similarities are only skin-deep. Disintegration, a production headed up by former Bungie creative art director…
By Nathan Grayson Published September 3, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsWoW Classic Brings The Community Back To World Of Warcraft
World of Warcraft Classic is teeming with life. Traders shout out their wares, offering much-needed magical items and equipment at reasonable prices. Adventurers form parties for protection against dangerous low-level foes. Earlier today a stranger came up to my mage and asked if I could conjure him water. I can’t remember the last time a…
By Mike Fahey Published August 30, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsPlayer Recreates The Dragon Ball Z Opening With No Man’s Sky Footage
The No Man’s Sky community is full of creative players doing interesting things with the game, like making a rudimentary version of Rocket League. One player used footage and assets from the game to recreate the classic opening for Dragon Ball Z, and it’s hilarious. While I am more familiar with the American dubbed version…
By Gita Jackson Published August 30, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsCatherine: Full Body Adds New Puzzles And Characters But Retains Old Flaws
Catherine: Full Body is a remix of sorts of Catherine, a 2011 puzzle game by Atlus that had strong visual novel elements. Full Body makes some additions to the original’s narrative and gameplay. We’ll discuss the narrative changes more in-depth next week. For now, Full Body’s addition of a new character and some slight changes…
By Natalie Degraffinried Published August 30, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Fonts In Control Make Its World Feel Way Creepier
There’s a lot to love about the wonderfully weird new Remedy Entertainment game Control, but the first thing that grabbed me were the fonts. Control is a game in which the extraordinary is treated as business as usual. In it, protagonist Jesse Faden has broken into the Federal Bureau of Control, which is a government…
By Gita Jackson Published August 29, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsNew Mobile Game Pokémon Masters Is More About People Than Pocket Monsters
In Pokémon Masters, out today for iOS and Android, players recruit famous Pokémon trainers from throughout the series’ 23-year history, creating teams of three and battling through an adventure that feels more like the cartoon than any game that’s come before. Pokémon games up to now have been mainly focused on the goal of becoming…
By Mike Fahey Published August 29, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsYu-Gi-Oh On Switch Is All The Yu-Gi-Oh I’ll Ever Need
Most of my experience with Yu-Gi-Oh, Konami’s long-running collectible card game/cartoon series, comes from video games. I’ve tapped more virtual cards than physical ones, and most of my matches have been against computer opponents. That’s how I like it, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution for the Nintendo Switch is all that and…
By Mike Fahey Published August 27, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsHands-On With The Nintendo Switch Lite: Sturdy, Stylish, Comfortable
The Nintendo Switch’s gimmick is the ability to “switch” between playing on your television and handheld mode. The Nintendo Switch Lite is a cheaper but no less impressive console focused exclusively on portable fun. I enjoyed a hands-on demo in New York and walked away much more impressed than I expected to be. Viewed from…
By Heather Alexandra Published August 27, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsWorld Of Warcraft Classic’s Rocky Launch Is Kind Of Nostalgic, Sure
Overcrowded starting areas, login queues in the tens of thousands, rampant lag, server disconnects—oh yeah, I am feeling that old school MMO vibe in World of Warcraft Classic In the video below (mind the hot mic, it’s been a while) I take my first steps 15 years back in time. My gnome rogue, Gerbil, entered…
By Mike Fahey Published August 27, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsModern Warfare‘s Alpha Has Me Feeling Good About The Gameplay
This weekend, Call of Duty players on PlayStation 4 are getting hands-on with this fall’s Modern Warfare. Activision has launched an early alpha of the new 2v2 “Gunfight” mode, and so far it’s mostly good vibes and fast-paced gameplay for Infinity Ward’s rebooted Duty Modern Warfare’s alpha was originally scheduled to hit the PlayStation store…
By S.E. Doster Published August 23, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsLife Is Strange 2‘s Fourth Episode Puts Its Hero Through The Wringer
By the end of the latest episode of Life Is Strange 2, the game’s protagonist Sean Diaz has nearly been broken, physically and mentally. But at least he still has his brother. The most recent episode is the fourth entry in the series, which will eventually be five episodes. Its story continues in the same…
By Gita Jackson Published August 23, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsRemnant: From the Ashes Is Quickly Becoming One Of My Favorite Games Of 2019
When I first saw a streamer playing Remnant: From the Ashes, I rolled my eyes. Boiled down to the most reductive pitch, it’s Dark Souls but with guns. So what? It looked like a knock-off. But now that I’ve played it, I can say that Remnant is one of the most interesting and entertaining games…
By Heather Alexandra Published August 22, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsA Player Made Rocket League In No Man’s Sky’s Creative Mode
Do you like Rocket League, but wish it were in space? A No Man’s Sky player has you covered. The prolific No Man’s Sky builder BoidGaming, who previously created a combination lock and a giant statue of Borderlands’ Claptrap, made a rudimentary but fully functional version of Rocket League in No Man’s Sky’s creative mode.…
By Gita Jackson Published August 22, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Sims 4‘s New Fashion Photography Pack Is Shockingly Good
I would never ordinarily recommend one of The Sims 4’s stuff packs. There usually isn’t much to them. But you know what? The Sims 4‘s Moschino stuff pack is good. There are three tiers of Sims 4 downloadable content. Expansion packs radically alter the game, adding multiple new mechanics and items. Game packs make smaller…
By Gita Jackson Published August 21, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsMetro Exodus‘ New Story DLC Feels Like It’s On Fast-Forward
The Metro series, in its best moments, is icky, verging on downright gross. Plenty of shooters try to capture a sense of place, but Metro bathes you in the grime and ichor that seeps from the clogged pores of its wounded world. The first level of Metro Exodus’ first DLC episode, “Two Colonels,” is no…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 21, 2019