James Paley
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COGConnectedLatest Reviews
I love Sonic games. They’re cheesy, over the top, crammed with heart, and tons of fun. That being said, they’re not always… good? But I love them anyway. Sonic Frontiers is a perfect Sonic game. It tugs at your heart strings, it’s a blast to play, and it’s peppered with...
Building things out of LEGO is amazing fun. In theory, a game about this timeless activity would totally rule, right? It does! Sort of. You see, putting the pieces together just right requires patience and precision. It also requires an instruction manual. I had about half of one of these...
I’ve played a ton of skateboarding games in my time. Session: Skate Sim is easily the most challenging one I’ve ever picked up. The fascinating thing is that the game knows this fact, inside and out. You aren’t expected to be any kind of competent right off the bat. Moreover,...
Live A Live
Good games should have a focused vision. They need a running theme, a thesis statement that binds everything together. The more branching out you do, the more potential trouble you invite. Live A Live flies in the face of this wisdom. The protagonists seemingly have nothing to do with one...
Do you want more Fire Emblem in your life? Because you’re getting so much more Fire Emblem. Nintendo and Omega Force have whipped up a massive new adventure with Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. Yes, this is another Warriors game. But in all fairness, this is a franchise uniquely well-suited to the...
Sonic Origins
There are a ton of games in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. We’re talking dozens of titles scattered across multiple consoles and multiple decades. Sega is absolutely riddled with old Sonic games, is what I’m saying. Yet for some reason, every collection and compilation contains the same withered handful of...
While we patiently wait for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the devs have blessed us with a town-building RPG! Though Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is for hardcore fans of a game that doesn’t yet exist, there’s still fun to be had. If you want to turn a tiny town into something bigger...
There’s just something deeply satisfying about mowing down waves of the undead. Like a Zen rock garden full of groaning corpses. Rebellion’s Zombie Army 4: Dead War walks a fine line between indulgent and exhilarating, with only a few stumbles along the way. It’s tough and grounded, but also crammed...
Re-releasing games from a bygone era is a dangerous business at times. You never know what beloved mechanic is going to age like milk. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a great example of this phenomenon. Motion controls and quick-time events have shuffled off into the sunset for good reason.
I’m not sure how to recommend Chrono Cross to a new player. This is a haunting, ethereal, beautiful game. The soundtrack is incredible, the story is engrossing, and the visuals are delightful. On the other hand, this was a dense, weird game when it first came out. The decades since...
Kirby games don’t change much from one installment to the next. Instead, players are treated to a constantly evolving core formula, one that never fails to entertain. Kirby and the Forgotten Land continues this tradition, giving players a few new bells and whistles to spice up the usual hits. Conversely,...
Windjammers 2
Do you love the 90’s? Do you even remember the 90’s? If not, that’s totally fine! Windjammers 2 is here for you either way. This hyper-vibrant sports game presents a sleek, sexy look at the most extreme decade. Sort of! Mostly you get a vertical slice of the flying disc...
