There’s nothing revolutionary in Mafia’s organized crime story. The cliches and drama all play to form, but Mafia does allow an exploration of America’s depression era, including the desperation and sheer naivety of alcohol prohibition. It’s not that Mafia allows players to gun down cops en masse with a machine gun (many games do), so… Continue reading Mafia: Definitive Edition (PS4)
Gears of War debuted with muscular, broad shouldered, gruff men fearlessly carrying chainsaw guns into combat. The militaristic bravado and arrogant sense of invincibility exuded American military pride, concealed (hardly) in sci-fi lore. Something happened to Gears of War though. Although conscious of loss in its first trilogy, the narrative shifted under a new development… Continue reading Gears Tactics (PC)
Weird Al Yankovic’s irreverent “Christmas at Ground Zero” joked about the idea of nuclear annihilation, setting the apocalypse under a mistletoe for a jolt of irony. Yankovic released the song during the Cold War, mocking the stupidity shown by super powers (even using a clip of President Reagan in the video), and the casualness with… Continue reading Rad (PS4)
Religion interferes when the industrial revolution begins, Bloodstained’s catalyst, causing extremists to raise a Gothic castle, filled with demons. Anything to stop smokestacks from replacing churches – or, keeping things great, as conservatives see it. A religious tome is at the center of this conflict, a war between progressives who wish to stop evil from… Continue reading Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (PS4)
Although the title of the series refers to the series’ military, there’s no alien invasion underway as the game begins. Yet, they have walking mechs, an armada of tanks, futuristic stealth bombers, and a mass of hand-carried weapons, enough to arm multiple countries. It begs the question – who does the EDF defend against before… Continue reading Earth Defense Force 5 (PS4)
Hovering over a dinosaur island theme park, a Tyrannosaurus roars. It’s that iconic Jurassic Park sound, nearly deafening audiences in theaters. Nearby, Velociraptors screech. Their recent live kill made them celebratory. The aura of Jurassic Park fills Jurassic World: Evolution. John Williams’ wondrous theme over the main menu? That’s cause for genuine chills. Jurassic World:… Continue reading Jurassic World: Evolution (PC)
Coffee Crisis stars two panicked millennial baristas. Aliens came to Earth, but not to abduct people. Worse: They want our music and coffee. That’s disastrous. It’s not only aliens. Coffee Crisis finds the pair fending off old people and country music-adoring conservatives. Everyone tries beating millennials down in Coffee Crisis. This is not a world… Continue reading Coffee Crisis (PC)
It’s lamentable that Fight’N Rage’s main lead, simply named Gal, sways her inflated breasts practically out her dress. That’s just when she’s standing around. It’s obnoxious. Fight’N Rage doesn’t ignore the overall sleaze of its world though. Humans stomp on anthropomorphic animal foes, brawling in a ghastly place where slathering pigs and seedy wolves attack.… Continue reading Fight’N Rage (PC)
If a second passes in Dragon Ball FighterZ without an explosive blast or a nuclear-like mushroom cloud, something glitched. It’s mayhem, an animated scene take to extremes, impossible in the traditional hand drawn methods. Even in an era of digital animation, Dragon Ball FighterZ still cannot exist with such energy anywhere but a videogame. Injustice… Continue reading Dragon Ball FighterZ (PS4)
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus A rare example of successful AAA storytelling, Wolfenstein II bests its murky predecessor with fantastic focus on telling a story relevant to modern day America. It’s cliche to dump “Trump’s America” into a conversation anymore, but it’s an absolute in a year of Charlottesville Nazi rallies. Wolfenstein II is about… Continue reading Best of 2017
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