In between stages, Shovel Knight, star of Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight, sleeps at a lonely camp fire. Sometimes, he dreams. In Shovel Knight’s dreams, his former partner, Shield Knight, is falling from a great height. You, as Shield Knight, are waiting on the ground, standing against stark white surroundings, a blank mindspace. As the […]
Death by Tutorial Bear: Some Early Thoughts on Far Cry 4
Our games editor, Jake Muncy, has been playing Far Cry 4 since it came out on Tuesday and is eager to share his thoughts. A full review or analysis, however, is a ways away—this game is frickin’ twenty- to forty-hours long and our boy has a day job. In the meantime, here are some reflections […]
Broken Unity: Let’s Talk Assassin’s Creed and Review Embargoes
My initial plan for this week was to purchase Assassin’s Creed: Unity and write up some impressions for my weekly Loser City thing. We’re a pretty small operation here, and it can be hard to get review copies of games when you’re a small operation, so if I’m really interested in a major release I […]
Hold X to Remember the Dead: How Video Games Help Me Mourn
It’s a cliche to say that I’m no good at funerals. No one is. Our culture is a bit anemic when it comes to mourning, I think. Our traditions are sparse, informal, and brief. Take a week, have an understated, quiet service in a church you may or may not visit any other time, and […]
99 Problems, and They All Orcs: Shadow of Mordor and Expanding the Middle Earth Universe
In an iconic scene from The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo, horrified at what he has heard about Gollum, who is stalking him in hopes of reclaiming the Ring, remarks that it’s a “pity” that Bilbo didn’t kill him when he had a chance. Gandalf pushes back at the notion, insisting instead, “It was Pity […]
Save Points: Wasted Days (Dark Souls 2)
Jake Muncy has basically grown up as a gamer. He’s of a generation where video games have always existed, and as he has matured, so have they. Which is why we’re giving him the space to do Save Points, a column where he revisits his gaming history and works through the significance of the video games that […]
On Depression Quest
Author’s Note: It’s an ugly time to like video games right now. Recently, there have been campaigns of vitriolic hate and harassment against women critics, game developers, and their allies on some prominent corners of the internet. Games writing and the new wave of indie development along with it feels under siege to a lot […]
You’ve Got Trench Foot, Charlie Brown! or: Why Valiant Hearts Just Didn’t Do It For Me
Remember This is America, Charlie Brown? The cartoon where the Peanuts gang informed us about the Mayflower while also unmistakably being the Peanuts gang? It’s a solid teaching tactic, the core of edutainment: give us a familiar narrative juxtaposed with real historical events, and in the process teach us something while still entertaining us. Kids love […]
Locked in a Loop: A P.T. Travelogue
“Has that banana always been there?” I ask myself. I’m looking at a pile of trash on an end table near a locked front door. I’m pretty sure I want out of that door, but I have no idea how to open it. Or where it leads. All I know is that I am frightened […]
Soft Rock Star: Transistor Sings
I’m surrounded, so, naturally, I freeze time. Three big, lumbering enemies are pressing in on me. Their attacks do exactly too much damage, and I need to get rid of them quickly. I start by dropping a bomb where I stand. Then I chain a move to that that allows me to teleport a short […]