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]
Ajazz AK870 Mechanical Keyboard Review
For the mechanical keyboard curious, Ajazz appears to be a company offering a wealth of products to ease users into the deep, complex world of keyboard customization. In my review of the Ajazz AK820 Max, I noted the keyboard’s simplistic design belied a canvas for easily swapping keys and switches that would potentially add splashes of color and varying sounds to achieve a person’s opt...[Read More]
Ajazz AK820 Max Mechanical Keyboard Review
For someone who has spent as much time as I have endlessly pressing keystrokes, you would have thought by now I wouldn’t be so unfamiliar with mechanical keyboards. But alas. The Ajazz AK820 Max is the first mechanical keyboard I have spent any meaningful time with. My assumption with the input method was that every keyboard of this type would noisily–yet satisfyingly–make a loud...[Read More]
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of The Goddess Review
Were you ever good at Desktop Tower Defense? I certainly wasn’t. But that didn’t stop me from soaking up hours of it on Kongregate or whatever Flash game website at the time. The tower defense zeitgeist at the time seemed to revolve around that dumb, simple game and rather than be on my PlayStation 3 I was probably idling away on it between Tumblr refreshes and browsing mp3 download si...[Read More]
ASKA Early Access Preview
ASKA made the tedious act of survival a strange thrill, evolving into a surprising game of city management and viking raids. My time with ASKA‘s Early Access build came on the fringes of Summer Games Fest 2024. The deluge of games is always a bit frightening for someone like me who wishes to have their thumb on as many zeitgeist-worthy games and attractive indies as possible. But one thing I...[Read More]
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Review
Fifteen years feels like a long time to be trapped in this endless cycle of life and death. Yet that’s how long FromSoftware’s abyss of grueling, rewarding games have been in my life. I’ve been there since Demon’s Souls on PlayStation 3. But it took me awhile to adapt to the emergent genre that has taken to flooding every gaming event like a murderous deluge. You see, there...[Read More]
V Rising Review
Early Access has rapidly become a proving ground for developers to implement community feedback to grow and improve their games. Baldur’s Gate 3 spent a significant period in Early Access but only hinted at the windfall of content Larian would unleash on players. And while the moniker can be wielded in strange ways, it feels like a net positive for both players and developers who wish to sup...[Read More]
Save Me Mr. Tako: Definitive Edition Review
Save Me Mr. Tako: Definitive Edition is a shockingly accurate recreation of those cartridge games you would click into the back of Nintendo’s Game Boy and play through until the four AA batteries died or your road trip was over. As a kid, my Game Boy was attached to me, especially when I was away from my consoles. While the longest time I spent in a car was usually about an hour, I still rem...[Read More]