Category Archives: Reviews

Reviews of my recently played video games. Often these are updates that I have beaten a game, though sometimes I post updates mid-playthrough to share my ongoing thoughts.

Turok – Dinosaur Hunter: Life Finds a Way. My Bullets Say Otherwise.

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Matthew

Turok was the zeitgeist of the nineties. Released during the heyday of the Jurassic Park craze (and just three months prior to the the opening of the second movie, The Lost World), Turok was an appealing fantasy for those who … Continue reading →

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Crash Bandicoot: This Game Was Designed to Drive Children Insane

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Matthew

Some of you may have noticed that my backlog is getting pretty short these days, and this inevitably means finishing a few of the more loathsome games in my collection. I avoided Crash Bandicoot because I recalled it being hard. I did not recall … Continue reading →

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Life is Strange – Episode One: Well, I Guess I’m Hooked Now

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Matthew

Fresh off the heels of PAX East with a game code in tow from their panel, I decided to give DONTNOD’s Life is Strange a try before it started collecting dust in my Steam library. Narrative-driven games like this are among my … Continue reading →

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Evolve: A Refreshing Take on Multiplayer Action

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Matthew

When free time is lean and I’ve only got an hour or two a day to commit to gaming, my go-to games are the ones I can pick up and play at a moments notice. I remember seeing a playable demo … Continue reading →

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Mario is Missing: Mario Meets Edutainment

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Matthew

My generation’s baptism into the bizarre world of ‘edutainment’ came with our school-mandated curriculum of the Oregon Trail series. Sure, it was supposed teach you about pioneers, but the designers made a crucial mistake – it was actually fun as hell to play. This basically guaranteed two … Continue reading →

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Perfect Dark: The Swan Song of the Nintendo 64

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Matthew

In the beginning, there was Goldeneye 007, and it was good. The year was 1997, and console shooters were formless and empty. Thus Rare said “Let there be objectives.” And so it was. And Rare blessed the players with free … Continue reading →

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Papers, Please: Gaming Satire at Its Absolute Finest

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Matthew

I’ve occasionally heard the argument that it’s impossible to make a game about an ordinary person. An exceptional plot, they say, demands an exceptional protagonist. Somehow he or she must be special. Maybe he’s all-powerful, or maybe she’s exceptionally brave. Maybe he’s simply … Continue reading →

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Pilotwings: Super Nintendo à la Mode 7

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Matthew

Back in 1990, Nintendo released three first-party titles for the launch of its fledgling SNES console. The first two were Super Mario World and F-Zero, two Nintendo classics that would go on to become iconic entries in Nintendo’s line of flagship … Continue reading →

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Star Fox Review: No, Not the One On Nintendo 64

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Matthew

Ah, Star Fox. If there’s anything that’ll make me nostalgic for my childhood, it’s memories of flying around the Lylat Sytem in my Arwing and waging war against the forces of Andross.

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Jurassic Park: Childhood Trauma In a Cartridge

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Matthew

It’s hard to find anyone that takes licensed titles seriously these days. With a couple of noteworthy exceptions (Spider Man 2, Goldeneye 007), they’re almost always poorly made cash-ins accompanying some movie or television show. Nevertheless, during the late 80s … Continue reading →

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