Lost Ark is everything I’ve been waiting for in an MMO…yet playing it feels like a strangely hollow experience

Back when I was 10, living on a diet of Runescape and Diablo 2, I had a brilliant idea. What if someone combined those two games, and made the best game ever? Middle school logic aside, it's not a bad idea. Diablo-style ARPG combat seems like a natural fit for an MMO, not demanding enough that you get easily burnt out, but providing enough engagement to make grinding a somewhat pleasant activity. Which is why it's really strange that no one did it successfully until Lost Ark came around.

Genre Deep Dive-Space Trading and Combat Simulators- Elite Dangerous and Star Traders: Frontiers

Elite Dangerous ©Frontier Developments, via Steam What better place to start our list than Elite’s own official sequel. Technically the fourth game in the series, Elite Dangerous is a gargantuan undertaking. An MMO and a single player game all in one (and with the new expansion, also a mediocre shooter), there’s seemingly very little that … Continue reading Genre Deep Dive-Space Trading and Combat Simulators- Elite Dangerous and Star Traders: Frontiers →

Genre Deep Dive: Space Trading and Combat Simulators-Can any game out there fulfill the promise of Elite?

Elite Dangerous, ©Frontier Devlopment I have always considered myself someone with very particular tastes. When it comes to music, films, books, video games and all kinds of entertainment, I know what I like, and unfortunately, it’s often not things that are particularly easy to find.  When it comes to video games in particular, I love … Continue reading Genre Deep Dive: Space Trading and Combat Simulators-Can any game out there fulfill the promise of Elite? →

Yoku’s Island Express Review-An Open World Pinball Adventure

©Team 17Group Perhaps it's a bit of a cop out to call Yoku's Island Express a hidden gem. After all, it received a decent amount of attention on release last year. It was reviewed(mostly favorably) by several major publication, sold decently, and was even an Epic free giveaway at some point. However, I do think … Continue reading Yoku’s Island Express Review-An Open World Pinball Adventure →

The classic time travel JRPG-Chrono Trigger Review

There are certain clichés people associate with the JRPG genre. The convoluted, nonsensical narratives, the melodrama, the hours and hours of grinding. Honestly, this perception has kept me from trying Chrono Trigger for a long time, which is a shame since none of these clichés are true in this case. Chrono Trigger is refreshingly brief, grind free, and action packed, and it's characters and dialogue are as far removed from the soap opera stylings of the typical JRPG as they can be.

The reason why I haven’t played so many “classic games”

We tend to think of video games as global, international medium, perhaps more so than other form of media. While mainstream blockbuster films are overwhelmingly produced in a tiny area of the United States, and music is heavily segregated by language and culture barriers, games are, by comparison, free of these sorts of constraints. Of … Continue reading The reason why I haven’t played so many “classic games” →

Why I could never write an objective review of Mass Effect: Andromeda

September 2020 was a rough time for me. My country was in lockdown, I was temporarily out of a job and I was completely isolated from family and friends. At the time, I was living alone, and the only companionship I had was my cat. Then, my cat died. Unsurprisingly, I didn't exactly take it … Continue reading Why I could never write an objective review of Mass Effect: Andromeda →

Halcyon 6 Lightspeed Edition Review- Star Trek as a retro JRPG

©Massive Damage Inc. via Steam When the somewhat confusingly named Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander(no, there's no Halcyons 1 through 5) was released in late 2016, it didn't make much of a splash. Though the game had a successful Kickstarter campaign, and received a whole bunch of positive attention in the months preceding it's arrival, the … Continue reading Halcyon 6 Lightspeed Edition Review- Star Trek as a retro JRPG →

Mirror’s Edge Review- The first person Parkour simulator

©Electronic Arts, via Steam When Mirror's Edge first came out, I was under the impression that it was a big deal. I was pretty young at the time, and it's one of the first few games I clearly remember being excited for (among others that I remember from that period are the first Assassins Creed … Continue reading Mirror’s Edge Review- The first person Parkour simulator →