Neva Review
Like the changing seasons it is framed by, Neva is equal parts beautiful, cyclical, and unpredictable. Alba, the sole protagonist exists as the lonely human in a world otherwise teeming with life and color. The only other humanoid-like beings are the inky black enemies that wear white masks for faces. Their dark, murky presence and violent nature is a stark contrast to the dense foliage and vibran...[Read More]
Phoenix Springs Review
Phoenix Springs falls prey to the thing that many other adventure games do: obfuscation. As players, we fall victim to to the minds of the creator. They piece together the blueprint of their game’s world brick by brick, pasting the puzzle pieces together to hopefully form a cohesive whole. There must be a nexus point where mechanics are introduced to the player and learned in a way that rewa...[Read More]
BioWare’s Magic is Back with Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Hands-On Preview
The palpable weight riding on the back of Dragon Age: The Veilguard is bound to seep into most discussion about the game until it finally releases on October 31. In the days and weeks after launch, fans and critics will decide on whether or not The Veilguard is a worthy successor to 2014’s Dragon Age: Inquisition, a long absence for a series that ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger. More note...[Read More]
The Plucky Squire Review
Shortly into my adventure with Jot in The Plucky Squire, I was tasked by the wizard Moonbeard to retrieve some wax from local honeybee Benny Bee to create more records to DJ with. As if that sentence wasn’t already claustrophobic in whimsy, it turns out a honey badger was snout-deep in Benny’s stock. A cutscene played–Jot ripped the sleeves off his tunic, muscles bulging. “...[Read More]
Concord Review
Concord is the most fun I’ve had with a competitive online multiplayer shooter since Titanfall 2 and Overwatch. Blizzard’s game-changing Overwatch and Respawn’s second attempt at a great thing both released in 2016. Where Overwatch ushered in the prominence of hero shooters, Titanfall 2 was a taut, high-energy competitive game. Our space has ballooned. At times it feels unsustain...[Read More]
Star Wars Outlaws Review
Being sandwiched between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi could have been Star Wars Outlaws‘ greatest failing. Instead, it is the game’s greatest strength. Shadows of the Empire was similarly set between those two films and, I would argue, became a relatively beloved slice of Star Wars canon before much of the Extended Universe was annihilated. I played Shadows of the Emp...[Read More]
Building Up ASKA with Creative Director Cristian Diaconescu
Back in June, ASKA entered Early Access. Sand Sailor Studio’s Viking crafting and survival game premiered in the thick of Summer Games Fest on the heels of many games vying for players’ attention. While the survival genre is certainly a busy one, ASKA‘s hook of building a thriving community of villagers who actually complete tasks for the player immediately sold me. The ability t...[Read More]
Pepper Grinder Review (PS5)
There’s grace in not wearing out your welcome. And I know few platformers that grow more enjoyable the longer they stretch on. Variety is the spice of life and Pepper Grinder mimics the best kind of platformers capable of diverse levels, challenges, and visuals… all without becoming too much. But I admit that in its haste, Pepper Grinder is almost over before it makes the most of any p...[Read More]
Mars 2120 Review
38 years ago when Metroid released on the Famicom in August 1986, the revelation that Samus Aran is a woman was anything but novel. The assumption that obviously there must be a man behind that mask was based in at least a few decades’ worth of media featuring a dude as the action star. Fast-forward almost 40 years and it’s a completely different landscape. Heck, many people I know opt...[Read More]
Deadlink Review
Deadlink has no patience for players who want to take the time to methodically pull off headshots and lurk around a map for optimal strategic dispatching of enemies. You don’t aim down the sights. You don’t belly crawl. Technically, you don’t even die. Deadlink is a roguelite by way of a boomer shooter. Which, for even a person in their late 30s like me, is just… well it...[Read More]
Concord Preview: Polishing a Rough Gem
After two Beta weekends and about 20 hours of playtime, there is a Concord-shaped hole in my heart. And I think there are few better compliments one can give to a game than wanting to spend even more time with it, especially after a worthy binge. But I’m uncertain if even the full version of Concord will ultimately be able to satiate that yearning. Last December, I dived into the Closed Alph...[Read More]
Ajazz AJ159 Apex Gaming Mouse Review
Ever used one of those gaming mice that sharply curves along the thumb or features over a dozen buttons? In my years of reviewing and previewing games and hardware, a lot of wild products have come across my desk. A gaming headset that featured rumble. Cellphone pouches designed to look like animals. Bypass switches to enable mouse and keyboard controls on older consoles. If a manufacturer can ima...[Read More]