Author: Karen M. Menke
I wouldn’t enjoy video games, and I definitely wouldn’t be playing roguelikes, if I thought that playing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome was “insanity.” By definition, they are repeating a lot of the same actions over and over again in the hopes that this time, Steve would be different. I’m going to beat my head against that boss till that mother is defeated this time. I’m going to finish the run this time, and I’m going to look amazing while doing it. It will be different this time. I tell myself such things…
Ordering a fleet of dozens of starships of various sizes and shapes to hyper-jump to a nearby planet, then zooming in to see them explode into existence on the other side, bearing down on the entrenched enemy as they scramble fighters and bring their guns to bear, is always a thrill for me as a lifelong fan of sci-fi battle scenes. Though few games allow you to conduct interplanetary combat on the scale of Sins of a Solar Empire 2, we have seen it play out numerous times in Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and other series. The result…
Surprisingly, it’s taken this long for the largest brick manufacturer in the world to build a monument to Mario Party, considering that the LEGO brand is now featured on practically every family-friendly multiplayer game you can imagine, including kart racers, Super Smash Bros. clones, and even a Rock Band spin-off. However, LEGO Party is more than just a block-based parody of Nintendo’s venerable virtual board game franchise. It may build upon the foundations of Mario Party, substituting a variety of ridiculous minifigs for the best of the Mushroom Kingdom, but every single one of the 60 minigames is bursting with…
Formula Legends is an off-brand arcade racer with a Formula One theme, developed by the same team that brought us Paw Patrol Grand Prix and Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart. Indeed, it’s true that the majority of 3DClouds’ production seems to be racing games for a very young audience. For those of you who aren’t eating spaghetti with your hands anymore, Formula Legends may seem like an easy game to pass on paper. However, Formula Legends may end up being a dark horse in the race if you enjoy the lengthy and illustrious history of Formula 1 racing as well as video…
I was captivated by the job system, the enduring cast of people, and a plot that provided few simple solutions when I played it for the first time on the original PlayStation in the 1990s. 2025 has long been set up for an upgraded version of this RPG classic that is worthy of the original, thanks to the PSP re-release of The War of the Lions, which had more material but significant performance concerns, and mobile versions that only had touch controllers. Did The Ivalice Chronicles by Square Enix meet expectations? It certainly did, with a few exceptions. Even though…
How do you follow up with a character-driven roguelite like Hades that is almost unmatched in its field? Knowing where to grow larger without being overly bloated is essential. Knowing where to tighten screws without removing too much texture is important. In addition to identifying areas where it makes sense to experiment and remix, you must understand the fundamental, sacrosanct components that made it unique. All of these things are somehow accomplished in Hades 2, with the attention to detail and flourish that have come to define Supergiant Games. Not a single note is out of place. Hades 2 begins…
I had pondered whether I would have any less excitement from this brutal survival horror-parkour when I embarked on my fourth adventure of jumping across roofs while chopping zombies in two via the Dying Light series. Even if the fundamentals haven’t changed much since 2022’s Dying Light 2: Stay Human, I’m pleasantly happy to report that it’s still a ton of fun after more than 40 hours of tucking and rolling. The fact that you play as a human with monster DNA pumped into you, allowing you to tear people’s heads off with your bare hands, ups the ante a…
Hockey may not have the same fan following as baseball, football, or soccer, but its ardent supporters believe that it is a very unique sport. It’s the feel of your skate moving smoothly across the ice, the weight of the puck against your stick, and the chilly arena air. To their credit, EA Vancouver’s devs appear to understand all of that, which has helped them produce a fun NHL simulation with a devoted following. However, given the series hasn’t really advanced in any significant way in recent years, that commitment has been put to the test more and more. This…
Let me introduce you to Drag x Drive, a wheelchair basketball-themed sports game that is mostly controlled by the Joy-Con 2’s mouse mode, if you’re among the Nintendo enthusiasts who are concerned that the firm lost its creative spark after playing it safe with the Switch 2. Even after 20 years of playing every weird motion-controlled game from the Wii onward, I can honestly say that this is something I’ve never seen before, even though it has a surprisingly flat personality given that it comes from the company that has given us some of the most recognizable characters and gaming…
As you level up your battle pass in the most recent season of Fortnite, you and your team must defend yourselves against insectoid alien adversaries known as Bugs. If that sounds familiar, you’re not the only one. The creator of Helldivers 2, another shooter in which you team up against insectoid alien adversaries known as Bugs, Arrowhead Game Studios, has now addressed the similarities and implied that copying is flattering. On the game’s Discord (thanks, Videogamer), community manager Katherine Baskin said, “Hmmm… it’s giving ‘we have Helldivers at home,'” before saying, “I’m not worried.” “Fortnite is Fortnite, Helldivers is Helldivers,”…