Cuphead Review: The Epitome of Cool

There’s cool and then there’s Cuphead. Drawing inspiration from the surrealist non-children’s cartoons of Fleisher Productions and their 1930s contemporaries (besides the gratuitous racism), Studio MDHR’s freshman effort is an astounding aesthetic achievement. The hand animated stages and enemies are bursting with such an imaginative energy that the uphill battle against its brutal enemies are …

A Quiet Place Review: Horror Distilled

There is something particularly satisfying about a lean genre film that knows exactly what it wants to be, and nails that mission statement. Actor turned director John Krasinski's post-apocalyptic thriller A Quiet Place is storytelling distilled into pure tension. It wisely abides by Hitchcock’s old adage about the nature of cinematic suspense. Taking place in …

Celeste Review: A Climb Worth Taking

Every once and a while, a game will come along that displays stellar coherence between its gameplay and plot, both halves elevating the other. Matt Makes Games’ latest melds its vicious twitch platforming gameplay with a sincere story about grappling with depression and anxiety. It stars Madeline, a disgruntled young woman who has decided to …

Bayonetta 2 Review: Bombast Incarnate

Platinum Games has made a name for themselves delivering a particular brand of outrageous bombast. Whether it’s the manic firefights of Vanquish, the emulation of Kojima-esque insanity in Metal Gear Rising, or the visually singular Madworld, Platinum’s output oozes style. The Bayonetta series fits nicely into this pattern, aiming to deliver an action spectacle with …

Ready Player One Review: Nerd References Galore

Ready Player One defied my expectations, but not entirely in a good way. I went in assuming that the self-indulgent reference-palooza would be tempered by Spielberg’s mastery of the popcorn flick. The man defined the modern blockbuster movie after all, and his prolific career has been marked by his consistent ability to bring drama and …

Sunshine Blogger Award

Thanks a bunch to Benjamin Ferrarini for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award! Over on The Glitch he writes review/editorials on games, TV, and movies. Check out his review of the new Netflix series Lost in Space here. The Sunshine Blogger Award is a way for bloggers to recognize and promote new blogs. It allows the community of …

Doki Doki Literature Club: Parody in Games Done Right

*Spoiler Warning: I think that Doki Doki Literature Club is a game that is best experienced when going in as blind as possible. It's free on Steam, and is only takes a few hours of investment. (Minor spoiler as to it's nature: If you have any interest in anime/romance game parody, horror, visual novels, or just …

Rivals of Aether Review: Carrying the torch of SSB Melee

In my opinion, Super Smash Bros Melee is one of the happiest accidents in the history of game design. While it functions as a fun party game on the surface, it's still played by thousands of players at a competitive level. Although it was designed to be a crowd pleasing party game that simplified fighting …

Isle of Dogs Review

Wes Anderson’s ostentatious style of direction can mostly come off in one of two ways. It can either imbue it’s worlds with a sense of quirk that mirrors the oddball charm of its characters, or it can feel like a lot of overwrought technique for its own sake. Luckily, with Isle of Dogs, the form …

Favorite Games from Pax East 2018

Pax East 2018 came to an end this Sunday, marking another convention full of hundreds of interesting indie games. While I was only able to see a small percentage of them (around 20), I still was able to come away with a few favorites that I’ll be watching closely from now on. Here’s my top …