Latest Reviews
I feel like the LEGO game formula is mostly self-explanatory. They take a well-known franchise, give it the LEGO treatment, work in plenty of gags and humor, and then let you loose in a world that is both homage and satire of the original property. It’s a solid recipe, and...
With Forza Horizon 6, Playground Games has finally brought the Horizon Festival to one of the most requested destinations: Japan. It serves as an excellent setting for a Forza Horizon game that’s as gorgeous as ever, with new additions that’ll keep players behind the wheel for hours on end.
A lot of games that look back in time share a tone that’s somewhere between nostalgic and bittersweet. Few of them are as dry, honest, and regretful as Perfect Tides: Station to Station. Part point-and-click adventure, part autobiography, this sequel sees aspiring writer and college freshman Mara Whitefish escape her...
After a near four-year hiatus, The Dark Pictures Anthology is back with a creepy new tale. In Directive 8020, Supermassive Games leans on classic sci-fi horror concepts as it delivers one of the series’ most polished entries.
Ys is weird because it has a linear timeline, but between new games jumping around and a spotty localization history, it can be hard to perceive accurately without help. Falcom also loves to retcon things, especially when it comes to scrubbing out odd moves from its past. Take Ys 4,...
Coming-of-age films have been a mainstay since they first emerged over five decades ago. I attribute this to the universal experience of growing up and all the mixed emotions and bittersweetness that come with it. With Mixtape, Beethoven and Dinosaur weave a coming-of-age story that’s bolstered by a killer soundtrack,...
There are a lot of shooters out in the gaming space, but they almost all boil down to the same objectives. The landscape is flooded with deathmatches, battle royales, control point or territory control, and others that play similar notes. The brother duo of Dan and Mac Reynolds (the lead...
Kiln
In Xbox’s sea of acquired game studios, Double Fine Productions has emerged as one of its most unique. A studio always excited to offer something new, Double Fine’s latest game, Kiln, is about possessed pottery doing battle.
If you’re interested in TV and comics, it’s almost impossible to have missed the impact of Robert Kirkman’s Invincible over these last few years. The Amazon series has injected lightning into the veins of the original comic series and it continues to escalate and enrapture fans four seasons in. As...
Recent years have seen Don’t Nod Entertainment make a more concerted effort to create games that offer a more enriching gameplay experience in addition to its trademark narrative design. The studio’s newest title, Aphelion, falls short of delivering compelling gameplay, but its story and characters are a strong suit.
Saros
With 2021’s Returnal, Housemarque reintroduced itself as a studio ready to shake up the modern AAA landscape. Returnal instantly placed them on my shortlist of studios to watch, its balance of traditional action and roguelite elements making for a challenging sci-fi experience like no other. Five years and one PlayStation...
Like many who have followed the Life is Strange series over the past decade, I had some mixed feelings about the premise of Life is Strange: Reunion. A story that reunites series protagonist Max Caulfield and dearly departed Chloe Price isn't a bad idea in itself. However, setting it shortly...
