Biomutant is a multi-layered throwback. On the surface, the mundane open world, slippery combat, and messy dialog trees flashback to the original Fable, as if Biomutant were resurrected from the first Xbox, then remastered. It wasn’t, to note. Then the story, pleading to a pre-teen audience about global climate catastrophes in a way even Captain… Continue reading Biomutant (Xbox Series X)
Ethan Winters’ journey across this and the previous Resident Evil represent a wiry, weird fable of emotional distress. Little of Village’s kooky, raw camp fits Winters’ pain as he tries to reunite his family and save his child; that’s just Resident Evil’s way (still), paying tribute to schlock horror. Where Italian horror maestros in the… Continue reading Resident Evil: Village (Xbox Series X)
Back when filmmakers distributed bonkers pulp exploitation to theaters – nudity-laden women’s prison thrillers, sleazy vampire lust horror, and gonzo gore sagas – is where Zombie Army 4 belongs. It’s too pure, too absurd, too ridiculous to exist in today’s Nazi-sploitation world. Imagine Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, but instead of Nazi scalps, the troopers bludgeoned undead… Continue reading Zombie Army 4 (Xbox Series X)
Remember Avatar? Billion dollar movie? Blue aliens? Sigourney Weaver? Outriders is that, but you’re the militaristic villains. Unknowingly so, but the villains regardless. Imagine jumping into a war after an extended coma, siding with those you first meet, then slaughtering 5,000+ indigenous based on that alone. Not even John Wayne and John Ford were so… Continue reading Outriders (Xbox Series X)
Although changing its name, Clap Hanz Golf blends invisibly into the series formerly known as Hot Shots and Everybody’s Golf. This is a specific brand, mastered by developer Clap Hanz, where everyone matters and competition is secondary. Somehow on Apple Arcade and away from the Sony ecosystem for the first time, Clap Hanz creates what… Continue reading Clap Hanz Golf (iOS)
Bowser’s Fury isn’t typical Mario. There’s the transforming, mustached plumber fighting against the spiky, fire-spitting dinosaur – but in comes Bowser Jr. Often the spoiled, obnoxious offspring, Bowser’s Fury makes this kid a victim. Junior flies in his always bizarre floating clown pod, but his goal isn’t to keep Princess Peach locked away, but to… Continue reading Super Mario 3D World: Bowser’s Fury (Switch)
It’s odd to see lycanthropy lore warped from a tormented curse, with the afflicted forced to live with their uncontrolled murder, into something celebrated for its brutality, cruelty, and viciousness. Rather than fear, Werewolf: The Apocalypse treats the primal and instinctual bloodlust as a defensive means against a comically crude oil corporation. In its own… Continue reading Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood (PS5)
It’s odd to think menu music makes an impact on a game, but Planet Coaster’s mellow guitar strings and exited kid’s choir feels right. Planet Coaster is a simulation about happy places, and that catchy, hummable tune sticks in the brain even when amid the ambient shrieks, cheers, and mechanical whirring inside the parks. Tone… Continue reading Planet Coaster (Xbox Series X)
Originated in the early ’80s, the term cyberpunk (and resulting genre) rooted itself in anti-Japanese phobia, arriving in mainstream fiction as Japan became a technology-centric export economy. Cyberpunk 2077 looks the part, as does most cyberpunk. The neon signs, the noodle vendors, skyscrapers. A murder mystery too, revolving around a vicious generational divide and rebellious… Continue reading Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4)
It’s easy to dismiss Hades‘ tit-for-tat family drama between a father, Hades, and son, Zagereus. Much of Hades seems spiteful – sarcastic, smarmy, but just a rebellious teenager angry over his father demanding work. Then, soap-ish as cousins and other members in this Greek god fantasy pick sides. Those relentless attempts to escape, so smartly… Continue reading Hades (Switch)
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