25,357 community articles
Published
Cryptocurrency investment has emerged as a prominent avenue for financial growth, attracting seasoned investors and newcomers alike. The allure of significant returns juxtaposed with market volatility presents both thrilling opportunities and substantial risks. As the cryptocurrency market matures, understanding its nuances is imperative to making informed decisions. The dynamic landscape is ch...
Published
Secret of Mana's Randi joins Crono as the second Squaresoft SNES representative in my Video Game Hall of Fame. Next week's character will be an Assassin's Creed favorite.
justiceleaguecanada (Premium member)
Published
Best estimates are that as many as twenty computer games are published every year. With that warehouse of downloadables to peruse, finding fascinating titles on the fringe can be like looking for hay in a needlestack. That's why I have a thread of blogs featuring starling-size projects that didn't ever get to soar. In that spirit, here are six more Lo-Fi Plays. Short Trip Not to be confused wit...
Published
Some Background Information Forgive me @mento , but I decided to cover a TurboGrafx-16 game on this site. Near the end of 2024, I mentioned during my write-up about an insane Garfield JRPG that I was on a podcast that discussed a variety of kusoge games . What I failed to mention during that blog post was the game I selected for the podcast: Makai Hakkenden Shada . My reasoning for picking that...
Published
We're already into the second month of this year and I haven't played and blogged about an explormer yet. It feels like I'm losing my sense of self; that regulars are reading my 2025 blogs and wondering who this new Mento is. Was he replaced by one of those billion-dollar AI that keeps repeating itself? Is this a misguided attempt at recreating himself in the manner of some New Year's Resolutio...
Published
In an era where convenience meets choice, the gift card market continues to flourish. Whether you're looking for a thoughtful gift or a convenient way to handle daily transactions, understanding the wide range of gift cards available—and where to buy them at a discount—is essential in 2025. There are thousands of gift cards from different brands, such as Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, Steam, Xbox, Pl...
Published
No deposit casinos can be a great way to enjoy online gambling without risking your own money. However, not all such casinos are trustworthy. Many sites lure players with attractive bonuses, only to trap them with unfair terms, slow payouts, or outright scams. That’s why it’s crucial to know which no deposit casinos should be avoided. If you’re looking for safe and reliable options, platforms l...
Published
Crono, of Chrono Trigger fame, becomes February 2025's first entry to my Video Game Hall of Fame. The next character will be a Mana character.
justiceleaguecanada (Premium member)
Published
After the frenzied Retro Achievements sweeps of Super Mario 64 and Donkey Kong 64 there was one obvious next port of call: the pristine sands and less pristine structural stability of everyone's favorite tropicollectathon: 2002's Super Mario Sunshine . Now, I'm very much aware of this site's own checkered history with this GameCube nonpareil but I'll go to my lei-festooned grave in proclaiming...
Published
With Amplitude Studios announcing Endless Legend 2 and Civilization 7 around the corner, I decided to write a couple of stuff about some 4X games which I played and also about the origins of the 4X as a genre, which is what we will start. From there, then I will talk about those two game and a bit more. To be clear, while I am curious about Civilization 7, for 4X, my main interest lies in the F...
Published
Here I go, an entire review where I quiet my inner Archer fan and won't mention a "Danger Zone" even once. Wishfully 's Planet of Lana is a 2D puzzle-platformer game in what is increasingly the Chahi fication of that Indie genre: a mostly wordless, vibes-based experience full of cinematic ambition that balances its time with platforming, environmental puzzles usually involving moving boxes arou...
Published
It’s a little hard to believe that this is my 6th consecutive year of making GOTY blogs; it is not at all hard to believe that I’ve failed to finish a single one on time. Part of the reason is that I’ve only ever written the things as long as I’ve been a parent. This fact likely informs my choices, as indie games with shorter runtimes tend to dominate my lists. Another major factor is Game Pass...
Published
Lightning, from Final Fantasy games, is our final entrant for the January 2025 additions to my Video Game Hall of Fame, joining Cloud, Squall, Sephiroth, and Noctis. Next week's character will be a Squaresoft favorite from Chrono Trigger.
justiceleaguecanada (Premium member)
Published
In three weeks, I have not written a blog post. I don’t want to say it's been because I am lazy and do not wish to stick to my resolution of writing more frequently, but part of it might be that. The other part is that this one could absolutely be worth waiting 2 weeks to write! I am still planning on sticking to this, and the easiest way I think I will accomplish this is by sharing more than j...
Published
Welcome to Now in the '90s: Fan-made Blog Post Edition, where we look at the video game releases and major industry events of 30 years ago, today. This month, we look at sequels to two classics in the Action Platformer and Adventure genres, the first 3D Fighting game on the Playstation, a not so beloved 2D Fighting game sequel, and a surprising glimpse into the future of the industry! I'm not y...
Published
You know what happens when you get a 404 error, right? It means a computer messed up somewhere (or you did, but play along with the bit here). That's also what happened in Creative Bytes Studios 's Return to Grace , a first-person narrative-driven adventure game—a genre typically referred to by its fondness for leisurely ambulation—about a supercomputer AI that once ushered a future spacefaring...
Published
It's been a while since I've written anything like this. At first, I told myself it was because life got in the way. Work, kids and everything else meant I'd put it off just one more week. Weeks turned to months, months to years, and here we are. But, a new year means a chance for a new beginning, and so in 2025 it's time to refocus and push myself to write more, and there's no better place to...
Published
Game: Ninja Theory 's Senua's Saga: Hellblade II Release Month: May Started: 21/01 Completed: 23/01 Fine, I guess I'll take on Senua's Saga: Hellblade II since we've only a few days left of GOTY season (and, crucially, my free Game Pass period) and I sincerely doubt I'll be able to squeeze Eiyuden Chronicle or Octopath Traveler II in that short a frame for as much as I'd like to try. I need to...
Published
Gaming is one of the main ways I cope with the darkness in the world, and right now, for reasons that should be obvious to anyone paying attention but especially anyone in the US, there's a lot of darkness around and we're nowhere close to midnight, let alone dawn. I've been finding over the beginning of this already cursed year that what I crave from gaming is simplicity and linearity. When th...
Published
Xbox Had A Great 2024, And It Amounted To Jack. So, What's Next? Yes, this game is indeed rad and absolutely demos well every time it is show. But does it matter for Xbox? Let's give credit where credit is due. Xbox released the most quality games of the "big three" in 2024. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was the ultimate highlight for me, but other games that came out from their assortment...
