My Games of 2013 – Darrell

I’ve been something of a negligent father this year in games: raucous little shits bouncing around me, screaming “Da” while The Last of Us stares with broken eyes from her half-destroyed blanket fort. It’s a seedy blanket hovel at best. I’ve been consumed by others things, though; I’ve hardly noticed the guttersnipes.

Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Out Of The Shadows

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is the best TMNT game there has ever been. If that sounds like faint praise: it is. Even though the game pushes the boundaries of what to expect from a low-budget, licensed beat ’em up, by working the strengths of the franchise (do have a peek at… Continue reading Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Out Of The Shadows

My Game of the Year: XCOM: Enemy Unknown

If there’s such a thing as a “Gaming Journalism Ten Commandments”, I’m relatively certain this post is breaking at least one of them. Somewhere in there there’s got to be a “Thou shalt not make a game you haven’t finished your Game of the Year”, likely following commandment number seven, “Thou shalt not give Duke… Continue reading My Game of the Year: XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Free to Play: Team Fortress 2

Out five years this year, Team Fortress 2 has been played and enjoyed by millions. After a year as a free-to-play game, has Team Fortress 2 retained its unique blend of class-based fun or has the weight of all the items on the Mann Store and all those free-to-play gamers crushed the quality of this… Continue reading Free to Play: Team Fortress 2

Review: FTL: Faster Than Light

I’m outnumbered 4-to-2, but the invading Space Pirates are being held off in an undesignated common room by reinforced blast doors. I’ve got options: try to draw them into the medical bay where I can take them on whilst having my health topped up. Lie in wait in a nearby narrow hallway where I can… Continue reading Review: FTL: Faster Than Light

Of Daughters and Dishonored (Spoilers)

Dishonored is a first-person stealth action game that smells sweetly of Thief and Bioshock. Beneath the sinister cloak-and-dagger gameplay and masterfully realized setting, there lies a chaos system. It gauges your carnage, tallies your eviscerations, considers your subtlety, ponders your disposition toward revenge or mercy and changes the world accordingly. It also changes your daughter.

Review: McPixel

The cardinal sin of adventure games is the “MacGyver”, where players are forced to piece together two unrelated objects to solve a problem. While making gamers think outside the box is always a welcome addition, attaching rubber chickens to pulleys or crafting mustaches out of cat hair feels like translating Morse code backward. “McPixel”, a… Continue reading Review: McPixel

The Steam Summer Sale is Here

It has begun. After 3 weeks of Gabe Newell memes, off-base predictions, “Valve can’t count to 3” jokes, and Reddit complaints, the 2012 Steam summer sale is finally here.  And it’s exactly what we’ve all expected. Following the trend set by the last 2 summer and winter sales, the sale follows the daily deal format,… Continue reading The Steam Summer Sale is Here

Naval War: Arctic Circle Review

Before I delve into details or specifics, there’s something I should get out of the way. Naval War: Arctic Circle scares me. Staggering in its complexity, this is not a “pick up and play” game, nor is this your average fast-paced RTS. You’re not going to get “Eurofighter-rushed” by your multiplayer opponent, and you won’t… Continue reading Naval War: Arctic Circle Review

Dual Review: Legend of Grimrock

In our modern, indie- and mobile-friendly games market, the term “old school” gets bandied about frequently, the label haphazardly applied to any phone or PC game with 8-bit character art or a chiptune soundtrack. But the recent dungeon crawler Legend of Grimrock from newcomers Almost Human Games actually earns its right to wear the title… Continue reading Dual Review: Legend of Grimrock