Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III stumbled so Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 could soar. Triumphantly so. Black Ops 6 possesses a kind of opulence I haven’t seen in a Call of Duty game since perhaps Infinite Warfare, Black Ops 3, and Advanced Warfare–the first fruit borne from Activision’s mandate that Call of Duty‘s key three developers would be gifted with 3-year development cy...[Read More]
Life is Strange: Double Exposure Review
Life is Strange has proved to be a surprisingly resilient series. In the same months of early 2015 I did a kind of triple feature, playing the first two The Walking Dead games and the first episode of Life is Strange. Despite taking almost an entire year to release all five episodes, DONTNOD’s tale of Max Caulfield felt like a cozy answer to Telltale Games’ breakout hit. Despite being ...[Read More]
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Review
BioWare undoubtedly needed Dragon Age: The Veilguard to happen. One can only wonder and investigate what The Veilguard was before now. Back when it was Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Or when it was meant to be a live-service title. But ten years after Dragon Age: Inquisition, BioWare’s resiliency is facing its ultimate test. Mass Effect proves to be a triumphant moment for the developer, especially ...[Read More]
El Paso, Elsewhere Review
If there has been one game I’ve referenced more than any other–especially in the context of a review–it’s been Hotline Miami. Dennaton Games’ masterpiece has acted as a kind of zenith in both the independent gaming space and as an inflection point for games that are relatively mechanically simple but coated in an effervescent style making them unforgettable. ThereR...[Read More]
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]
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]
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]