2021 felt like the dark, gritty sequel to 2020 that nobody asked for. Looking back at the games I played this year, I found a pattern—most of them were picked from the basket of older games I hadn’t gotten around…
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Blending old and new in just the right balance, Monster Hunter Rise retains the essence of what makes the franchise fun while continuing to whittle away at all the little annoyances that have often made it tedious and obtuse in…
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You might look at my list and think I had a pretty boring year with games. Three games, two of which came out early in the year and one I’m not that excited about? Seems awful. But I spent most…
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Nodding Heads Games, the small development team behind Raji: An Ancient Epic, is based in India, and their goal was to create an experience inspired by the culture and architecture that they grew up around. The result is a game…
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When I first played Ori and the Blind Forest, I was caught off guard by just how good it was. Above all else, it was beautiful, both visually and thematically, and the entirety of the design let me enjoy that…
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The past several years in gaming have all felt like they’re trying to one-up each other. I keep expecting a crash, a year in which every developer just happens to be busy working on a new game that won’t come…
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Pool Panic is more akin to a puzzle platformer than a billiards game, but it doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre. In fact, nothing about the game is tidy, which is both its greatest strength and worst weakness.
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Devoid of any real style or substance, The Alliance Alive is only as strong as its battle system. Fortunately, the combat is interesting and fun, if a bit on the easy side.
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When Cave Story originally released in 2004, old-school design philosophies and pixel art were still unique and refreshing. The market is different in 2017, however, and even with updated HD pixel graphics, the complete package of Cave Story+ doesn’t offer…
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For years, I’ve looked for a game to challenge the greatness of Rogue Legacy. While Flinthook nails the gameplay and most of the roguelike mechanics, it lacks a few little touches that might have elevated it to that level. Even so,…
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by Jordan Elek