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OpinionImpressionsNo Man’s Sky‘s Beyond Update Reveals The Game’s Real Potential
No Man’s Sky’s latest update, Beyond, makes the game both more complex and easier to play. What’s incredible about Beyond isn’t all the new features, like the new hub for multiplayer which has been looking quite lively after a few key performance patches. It’s that all of the old things have been reorganized to more…
By Gita Jackson Published August 21, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsVermintide 2‘s ‘Winds Of Magic’ Expansion Adds More Grind But Not Much Else
Developer Fatshark has called “Winds of Magic” Vermintide 2’s first expansion, but while it offers a completely new mode and progression system, it currently just seems like another DLC. On top of that, it feels unmoored from the strong lore and ambient apocalyptic mood that guided previous additions to the game. “Winds of Magic” opens…
By Ethan Gach Published August 21, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsI Am Hooked On Ancestors, A Tough New Survival Game About Human Evolution
I’ve exchanged some odd DMs with a colleague over the past week as we try to figure out an intriguing new video game about human evolution. He gives me tips about hugging. I give him tips about making sharp sticks. At one point, I told him, “I gotta figure out how to mate.” We are…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 21, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Uplifting Tale Of ‘Dildo Face’, A Sim Who Dared To Dream
Life is rough when your parents gave you the name “Dildo Face.” But why wallow in self-pity when you can engage in a little nominative determinism instead, and find ways to make the name Dildo Face work for you? NSFW Warning: Images of very large cartoon sex toys and assorted naked Sims. You see, my…
By Kate Gray Published August 20, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsNo Man’s Sky Player Builds Combination Lock
Thanks to the recent Beyond update, No Man’s Sky players are designing all kinds of new things. One player has figured out how to make combination locks. The Beyond update added new building tools to No Man’s Sky, including power inverters and automatic switches, as well as electrical wiring and batteries for generating power. One…
By Gita Jackson Published August 19, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsUpcoming Exploration RPG Greedfall Has My Attention
When I was first asked to preview Greedfall, an upcoming RPG by Spiders, I didn’t really know what to expect. Its vast world, packed with ruins and frontier towns, captured a sense of discovery but also evoked a strange apprehension in me. Greedfall brims with potential, yet even after playing it, I can’t tell if…
By Heather Alexandra Published August 19, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe New Grandia HD Collection Is Pretty But Really Needs A Fast-Forward Button
Grandia and its sequel, Grandia II, are both very good classic role-playing games, full of charm and adventure and spirit. They came out in 1997 and 2000, respectively. Even an HD remake isn’t enough to make up for that. Today, publisher Gungho Entertainment put out HD remakes of the first two Grandia games for Switch.…
By Jason Schreier Published August 16, 2019 -
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 Published August 16, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsDouble Fine’s Newest Game Isn’t Entirely Rad
Rad takes place in a futuristic neon wasteland with an ‘80s vibe, where survivors power their homesteads with the technology of past entities called Menders. It’s a roguelike, made by Double Fine and Bandai Namco, in which you choose a character and set out into the wilds to restore the power, fighting mutant creatures along…
By Riley MacLeod Published August 15, 2019 -
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 Published August 15, 2019 -
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 Published August 15, 2019 -
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 Published August 15, 2019 -
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 Published August 15, 2019 -
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 Published August 14, 2019 -
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 Published August 14, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsApex Legends‘ Solo Mode Should Be Permanent
Apex Legends’ limited time solo mode kicked off today, allowing players to ditch their squad for a lonesome contest for survival. While Apex Legends is built around teamplay—picking the right hero combinations and communicating with the other two members of your squad—the solo mode offers a more deliberate but equally exciting way to play. The…
By Heather Alexandra Published August 13, 2019 -
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 Published August 12, 2019 -
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 Published August 12, 2019 -
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 Published August 12, 2019 -
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 Published August 9, 2019