Posts

Remember those episodes of Frasier where the titular character and his brother Niles would reminisce about the detective stories they wrote in the simpler time of their childhood? Well, imagine if those “Crane Boys” mysteries were not only real, but if Frasier and Niles were just bitter washouts who never moved on from those days. That’s pretty much The Kid Detective. Are there other, much more well-known child detective stories that would have made for a better analogy?...

It was easy to gush over every trailer, screenshot, and gameplay presentation for The Last of Us rattled off in those early months of its public existence. Encouragingly, though, the austere appeal of its dilapidated world hasn’t rusted as we draw closer to the game’s early 2013 release. Naughty Dog’s panel presentation at San Diego Comic-Con proved yet another example. Not for showing off a sequence of the game’s brutally effective combat or releasing a batch of highly polished screenshots, but rather for a simple, yet stunning portrayal of The Last of Us’ cinematic ambiance....

With Spider-Man: Miles Morales becoming a critical darling and one of the best PlayStation 5 launch games, it has been praised for its characters, gameplay, and the seemingly infinite amount of Easter eggs that are still being revealed. 10 Length Though Miles Morales has quickly become one of the best Spider-Man games according to Metacritic, the credits of the game roll surprisingly early. It isn’t a full on sequel to Marvel’s Spider-Man, as it’s being labelled as an “expansion” and it does come with a slightly cheaper price tag, but it’s way too short, clocking in at around eight hours....

Free-to-play games often get a bad reputation due to the market of mobile games that flood into the app store every single day. It seems that for every inventive new experience, there are hundreds of microtransaction-focused games trying to suck away every dollar. During the last five years, consoles have seen an influx of free-to-play games with a good number of them being a blast to play with friends or your significant other....

When it comes to a game’s length, preferences vary from person to person. It’s not too hard to put together though. Gamers who stick to action-oriented games like shooters and adventure titles typically like ’em short and sweet, while those into strategy and RPG titles tend to get the most out of longer experiences. Regardless of where you fall in this discussion, one thing that’s clear is that some games take way too long to get through....

Electric-type Pokemon can often be some of the most resistant species in the entire series. The only natural weaknesses most of them have are Ground-type moves, making many offensive fighters hard to beat quickly and heftier tanks almost impossible to take down. Unfortunately, there are quite a few exceptions, as many Electric-type Pokemon have second types that open them up to an alarming number of weaknesses. Many of them are still quite powerful despite their vulnerable bodies, but be extremely cautious if you choose to use any of these fragile thunderous creatures....

When one thinks of a classic horror game, normally images of the Spencer Mansion and demonic forces from Mars come to mind. But what about games that pay tribute to horror classics like Dracula, Alien, or even The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Guts and gore will only go so far, after all. Fortunately, for every Outlast and Amnesia, there’s a Castlevania or Dead Island equipped with familiar yet freaky horror tropes for gamers to enjoy....

The Madden franchise from EA is no stranger to glitches. Ever since this game transitioned from 2D sprites to 3D character models the series has been plagued be weird random glitches. Many times these glitches have humorous results, but when one of these glitches causes a turnover – or worse, a loss – they suddenly aren’t so risible. With the amount of time and effort EA puts into the Madden games, one would figure these games would be perfect....

In just a few short months, the Nintendo 64 will be turning twenty-three years old. Despite the famously awkward controllers and a host of bizarre, half-baked gaming peripherals, this console had an amazing lineup of timeless and unforgettable gaming classics, such as Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64. But for every Nintendo 64 game that has permanently carved a niche into the hearts of gamers the world over, there are at least two equally fantastic cartridge classics running the risk of fading into obscurity....

The Gameboy Advance was released in 2001 and was the follow up to the incredibly successful Game Boy line which included the Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and Game Boy Color. The Game Boy Advance saw a few redesigns in its lifetime including the Gameboy Advance SP which gave the portable a look similar to a mini laptop that also had a backlight and the Game Boy Advance Micro which had the best screen of all of the Gameboy Advances but was very small and could not play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games....

The Game Fate/Grand Order came out in 2015 on mobile devices as one of the most successful on the platform. However, it does not do well to draw on its gameplay aspects and leads to story inconsistencies. It’s one of those games where the gameplay aspects are completely separate entities from what’s going on in the pre-written script. This causes some major bleed over as character over exposition turns into an internal mess....

Fallout 4 took the solid foundation built by its predecessor and created a playground for fans to enjoy. The value of the Workshop DLC and other content is debatable, but the story its development matters. Fallout 3 proved that one of the best isometric RPGs ever could transition into a first-person shooter while staying true to its roots. The sequel has its flaws, but it expanded and built on content in ways most franchises haven’t bothered to attempt....

Valorant’s launch in June 2020 was both incredibly successful, as demand for new game releases peaked, and a frustrating challenge, because the ongoing pandemic prevented the game’s ripe esports opportunities from flourishing. It has taken some time to rethink Valorant’s esports plans as a result, but things are now moving forward. The first round of official Riot-run tournaments for Valorant have now ended, with 100 Thieves coming out as the First Strike event’s North American champions....

Getting into the Christmas spirit Bearded man Gamer? A wet landing That’s plane wrong Two right feet Freakishly long fingers A mother to look up to Tent dwellers Free the nipple A Photoshopping to the gun show Lazy leg The angles are all wrong Family faces Levitating LeBron Opposites attract? A multi-angle shot? An interesting fit Dad is out of the picture A magic jump shot A hand in celebration See-through players Post-shoot addition Who’s missing?...

ARK: Survival Evolved is a strategy survival game where players are trying to create a decent lifestyle on an island full of dinosaurs and other deadly creatures. This could sound like a challenge, but the game offers some great weapons to make the character’s life easier. These weapons include some simplistic ones, and some very high-tech, futuristic ones as well. These legendary weapons are the ones players strive to obtain. Weapons come in all shapes and sizes, from chainsaws and swords, to rocket launchers and rifles for the ultimate experience....

It seems like it was only a matter of time until Ubisoft took their Assassin’s Creed franchise to the seas; after all, what embodies the series’ brand of high-flying, swashbuckling gameplay more than the life of a buccaneer? But with Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, the developer is taking the core gameplay into an open world unlike any other in the series. New hero Edward Kenway’s mission may seem destined to cross that of the Assassin Order, but the latest trailer shows - through the inked skin of Kenway himself - that his rebellious spirit and love of freedom will distinguish himself from his predecessors....

Forza Motorsport 5 has been a fairly big success for the Xbox One as one of its key launch titles. Microsoft has heralded it as the fastest-selling racing game in Xbox history, with around a third of all Xbox One owners picking up the Turn 10-created racer. It’s been fairly well-received by critics too, with a lot of praise being heaped on its Drivatar system. It hasn’t quite been the same in terms of audience reception though, with the title losing a little of its luster with fans over its depressing use of microtransactions and DLC packs....

Microsoft claims that no console exclusive game is bigger than Halo 4, and in this case the hubris may just be warranted. It’s been five long years since gamers (ostensibly) finished the fight in Halo 3, and though there have been other Halo games in the interim, what fans have really been waiting for is the return of the series’ iconic hero, Master Chief. In advance of what is sure to be a major Halo 4 presence at E3 2012, more and more details on the game are being carefully parceled out by new Halo caretakers 343 Industries....

inFAMOUS: Second Son may have only just arrived, but already Sucker Punch studios is looking ahead to the future of the franchise. Following a swathe of warm reviews and some seriously encouraging sales figures, the PlayStation-exclusive brand has the entire world at its neon-spewing fingertips. Despite losing longtime collaborator and lead designer Jaime Griesemer earlier this week — Griesemer’s reasons for leaving remain unclear — the superheroic series shows no signs of slowing down....

Mass Effect gamers were skeptical of BioWare’s inclusion of multiplayer in the highly-anticipated, and now especially divisive, Mass Effect 3. No doubt plenty of players continue to avoid the mode at all costs, as if it would be blasphemy to enjoy the Mass Effect mechanics as anything but a single player venture; still, loads of gamers have become addicted to the mode - investing countless hours in experimenting with the various character load-outs and leveling up classes....