Features / PAX South 15 / by 02/3/15 /
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Do you like games? Notice that I didn’t say “video games” or “board games” here, and that’s intentional. If you like games, that’s it, really, and games that appeal to your sensibilities can be delivered to you through screen or cardboard just fine. This is how it is now, though at least in North America, it’s taken a while to get here. READ MORE
Despite the overabundance of zombie-related games, Techland made a name for itself with its 2011 release, Dead Island. It was an open-world action game with some light RPG elements, focused entirely on surviving the zombie hordes. Techland’s latest game, Dying Light, is similar in many ways, but focuses more on traversal and the survivalist aspects of Dead Island, making for a more self-serious experience. In some ways it surpasses Dead Island, but its shortcomings aren’t too dissimilar.
Something wasn’t quite right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. The controller was fine; over 50 games have fallen to the might of my trusty PS3 gold standard. The TV was massive; we just got a brand new 55-inch Samsung SmartTV, and after negotiating color schemes and brightness, we had come to a mutual understanding that it was a TV and I was the person who decided what it should look like. I was well-fed, not at work and didn’t have to be anywhere in particular anytime soon.
But as I was playing through Tales of Xillia 2, I wasn’t sure why but it felt off. Like some entrée at a restaurant that should taste fine… does taste fine… but… I don’t know, too much salt? Not enough? Are those artichokes? I’ll keep eating, but I prefer satisfaction to a mystery when I’m dining out. READ MORE
Features / Multitap / PAX South 15 / by 01/29/15 /
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Things have really changed in the games industry in recent years. Originally, you had to delve into the corners and crevices of the hobby to unearth experiences you could enjoy locally with friends. Lately, of course, that’s gotten a lot easier. Exploring the show floor at PAX South, though, it dawned on me that finding those experiences isn’t the problem anymore. They’re everywhere, and in this case that was literal. Now it’s about filtering through to find the best ones. So here are the eight coolest couch-play games I checked out at the show, what they’re like and how (and when) you can play them.
Features / Gaijin Guide / Video / by 01/28/15 /
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Graham and Jeremy foster better relations between Japan and the Soviet Union through water in Gorby no Pipeline Daisakusen, a 1991 Famicom puzzle title from Compile. How does a game like this even happen? We don’t know, but we start to get the hang of building pipes across the screen.
New episodes of Gaijin Guide are posted every other Wednesday. Next time, we’ll be swinging for the fences!
Sentinels of the Multiverse remains one of my favorite games of all-time, but I readily admit that the mechanics can be a bit much at times. Fortunately, my friends and I have decades of playing and judging Magic: the Gathering under our collective belts to help us manage dozens of card effects. If you’ve tried Sentinels and enjoyed the concept but found it too “mathy,” perhaps a more tangible system is for you: enter Sentinel Tactics. READ MORE
PC / PS3 / PS4 / Reviews / Xbox 360 / Xbox One / by 01/26/15 /
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Saints Row: Gat out of Hell is short. There is absolutely no denying that. The implications of its short length, however, are that within 30 minutes of play, you’ll have traded out Gat for Kinzie, learned how to fly, unlocked the ability to summon imps to fight on your side, collected over 50 soul clusters and persuaded Shakespeare to fight on your side against Satan in your quest to save The Boss and keep him from being forcibly wed to Satan’s daughter Jezebel. READ MORE
Features / by 01/23/15 /
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Nintendo has begun to release Wii games on the Wii U eShop, starting with Super Mario Galaxy 2 and continuing with at least a few more. These games are identical to the originals, except for ease of access and GamePad emulation of the Classic Controller, if the game supports it. Here are six games we think deserve a second chance on the service, even though they haven’t been announced for any territory. READ MORE
Features / From the Archive / by 01/22/15 /
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Don’t like sports? Around big events like the Super Bowl, there’s no escaping them, so why not find a way to embrace them? In this update of a piece that originally ran in 2012, we tell you about some games you should check out even if they have sports in them, because you’re missing out on a lot of fun.
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition (360/PS3)
If you’ve ever played an NBA Jam game, be it the arcade/16-bit originals or the recent remakes, you know what I do: that it’s much less of a sports game, and much more of a sports-themed multiplayer brawler. The newest version smooths the rough edges, looks slick and has a bunch of fun teams to play. Want to go around as Santa Claus, shoving Isaac Clarke and a raptor while an announcer rattles off silly-but-somehow-still-satisfying one-liners? That’s in a game now. — Graham Russell READ MORE
Snack Time / Video / by 01/21/15 /
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It’s Snack Time’s inaugural episode of 2015! Graham, Andrew and Ryan check out the party-building, whimsical RPG antics of multiplatform release Citizens of Earth.
New episodes of Snack Time post every two weeks. You can check out the Snack Time archive for some great shows you may have missed!
