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OpinionAmazon’s Error Dogs, Ranked
The video game world spent a significant portion of the morning trying to score an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S. More often than not, folks were met with error screens telling them their efforts were in vain. While certainly frustrating, at least evil megacorporation Amazon gave folks some great dogs to look at…
By Ian Walker -
OpinionImpressions13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim’s Time-Travel Mech Story Unfolds In The Coolest Way
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, the latest PS4 game from developer Vanillaware, tells the story of 13 Japanese high school students who get mixed up in a war between mechs and massive kaiju beasts that spans over a century and a half of history. To get the whole story, you have to weave together chunks of…
By Mike Fahey -
OpinionImpressionsOne Year Later, Apple Arcade Is Still A Great Deal
On September 19, 2019, Apple launched Apple Arcade, a $5-a-month subscription service dedicated to bringing top-tier, bullshit-free mobile games to iPhones, iPads, and Apple TV. One year later the service has more than 130 mostly great games with more arriving on a semi-weekly basis, and I’ve never once considered canceling. When Apple Arcade launched with…
By Mike Fahey -
OpinionWe Still Have Questions About Spider-Man On PS5
Every generational shift in video games brings with it a lot of questions about how it will affect the people who play video games, especially as the lines between generations become blurred due to backwards compatibility and upgraded editions of past games. With PlayStation 5 waiting in the wings, there are still a lot of…
By Ian Walker -
OpinionWhy Would I Buy A PS5 Now If Its Best Games Are Coming Out On PS4?
I was going to buy a PS5. As someone who’s primarily been a PC games player, with Nintendo handhelds on the side, picking up a console at its launch is something I’ve never done. I drift in later, when availability isn’t an issue, and there’s already a pile of games to plunder. But I was…
By John Walker -
OpinionImpressionsStar Renegades Is A Gorgeous Turn-Based RPG Caught In Its Own Time Loop
There’s a ton to love in the beautifully pixelated RPG roguelite Star Renegades. I just wish all of its ambitious ideas came together as elegantly as its art style. In Star Renegades, the latest Steam game from Massive Damage, makers of the excellent Halcyon 6, you assemble a squad of charming cliches—the roguish bounty hunter,…
By Ethan Gach -
OpinionImpressionsBPM: Bullets Per Minute Is A Shockingly Fun First-Person Rhythm Shooter
“Rhythm FPS roguelike” is not a series of words I thought I’d see strung together to describe a video game. But the year 2020 is committed to surprising the hell out of me, sometimes for ill (mostly for ill nowadays) but sometimes for good. BPM:Bullets Per Minute is one of those good surprises. Out now…
By Ash Parrish -
OpinionImpressionsMicrosoft Cloud Gaming Is As Good As Your Internet Connection
On a brand-new Samsung Galaxy Note20 with a solid 5G T-Mobile connection, Microsoft Cloud Gaming works like a charm. Shooters like Halo 5 stream without stutter. Fighters like Marvel vs. Capcom Ultimate are passable for casual play. If I switch to the spotty wireless shared by my entire household, games get choppy and stuttery. It’s…
By Mike Fahey -
OpinionImpressionsFall Guys’ New Mini-Game Variations Are Kicking My Ass
Earlier today, Fall Guys received a mid-season update meant to shake the game up before things get medieval. Mini-games that were previously a walk in the park have been remixed with new obstacles. As someone who had previously burnt out on the battle royale, this has been the perfect opportunity to step back into the…
By Ian Walker -
OpinionImpressionsOthercide Is A Goth Tactical RPG That Embraces Death
Most tactical games condition you to avoid failure. In XCOM, once a character dies, they’re gone. Same for Fire Emblem (at least in Classic mode) and others of its ilk. Othercide isn’t like that. Playing Othercide means rewiring your brain to tolerate and even seek out failure. Death comes quickly and brutally and recurs ad…
By Ari Notis -
OpinionImpressionsPumpkin Jack Is Colorful Halloween Action Game
Fall is nearly here, and I’m fully ready for the spooky season. With perfect timing comes a demo for the upcoming game Pumpkin Jack, an action platformer heavily inspired by Medievil and other PS1 and N64 era games. The Pumpkin Jack demo is available on Steam as part of PAX Online. It features one level…
By Zack Zwiezen -
OpinionImpressionsThe Outer Worlds’ First DLC Is Too Cynical For Its Own Good
Peril on Gorgon is a good excuse to return to the Outer Worlds’ retro-futurist dystopia. I only wish doing so had finally given me some hope that its neo-feudalist colonies might someday be saved. Out last week on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (it will arrive sometime later on Switch), Peril on Gorgon is the…
By Ethan Gach -
OpinionI Love The Bamboo Strike Mini-Game In Ghost of Tsushima
I’ve been taking my time with Ghost of Tsushima. A highlight of my completionist playthrough has been the “Bamboo Strike” mini-game, which asks you to slice through multiple bamboo shafts with your sword. There are 16 Bamboo Strike locations scattered throughout Tsushima Island, which is the perfect amount—rare enough that finding a location is a…
By Kevin Wong
