Flipping past a T-Rex in a shiny, blue sports car: that’s the Cruis’n Blast lifestyle at work. [credit: Raw Thrills / Nintendo ] Cruis’n Blast ‘s placement on my list of favorite video games of 2021 should not be taken as a universal recommendation. As a painstakingly authentic refresh of the dated Cruis’n arcade-racing series, […]
Supercharged powers and stylish designs may make you optimistic about Deathloop , but upon further review, this journey is rougher than you might expect. [credit: Bethesda ] If you’re looking for a simple back-of-box quote about how Bethesda’s newest video game works, you won’t get one. The list of inspirations in Deathloop , out this […]
Wario has returned to serve dozens of microgames, all in the name of amassing wealth. [credit: Nintendo ] I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve looked at a formulaic Nintendo sequel and wished for something fresher. Remember, behind a pile of Mario and Zelda remakes, Nintendo has a considerable stash of irreverence and whimsy, […]
Raz is back in the long-awaited sequel Psychonauts 2 . [credit: Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios ] Psychonauts 2 is the imperfect, astounding, hilarious, memorable, beautiful, long, drama-filled interactive cartoon for anyone who yearns for a certain era associated with 3D-gaming nostalgia. If that sounds like you, play this new game-of-the-year contender as soon […]
If you’d like, you can pretend that Ghirahim (right) is the thirsty, corner-cutting Nintendo, and Link is an average fan, aghast at the shape Skyward Sword HD ultimately arrived in. [credit: Nintendo ] Nintendo has never shied away from opportunities to touch up and re-release its most beloved video games. 1993’s Super Mario All-Stars is […]
In the world of Resident Evil Village, you’ll meet all sorts of colorful characters interested in having you for dinner. (All images in this article were captured directly on a PlayStation 5 console.) [credit: Capcom ] 2017’s Resident Evil 7 was one of the greatest gaming comeback stories of all time. After the series lost […]
Returnaling, over and over, to remember the things we shot. [credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment / Housemarque ] Returnal is a sci-fi video game about a person constantly reliving the past in order to find a new future. In some ways, it feels like a pointed metaphor for the game’s creators. PlayStation fans are likely familiar […]
Magnamalo is Monster Hunter Rise‘s box-art monster, but while it’s a hard fight, that doesn’t make it the worst thing you’ll face in this epic game. [credit: Capcom ] Since its 2004 launch on PlayStation 2, the Monster Hunter series has stomped in bold-yet-unsteady fashion—like one of its titular beasts—toward legitimacy in the West. I’ve […]
Enlarge (credit: Devolver Digital / Four Quarters) I cannot think of a single YouTube trailer that would do the addictive, compelling new video game Loop Hero an iota of justice. That’s not a remark on its 360p resolution or 8-bit color depth; we’ve seen plenty of games work within such confines while looking beautiful and […]
Cars blow up real good in Destruction AllStars, now out on PlayStation 5. [credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment ] One of the oldest video game subgenres, right beneath “shooting aliens” and “eating yellow pellets,” is “destroying stuff while driving a car.” Yet, while Mad Max‘s ’80s heyday pushed the needle as the games industry first exploded, we’ve […]