Community Articles

25,357 community articles

Spider-Man 2 layers top class production values over a gameplay system that's tried, true, and wearing thin
Published Nov 14, 2023
When Insomniac started its new Spider-Man series in 2018 I remember having mixed feelings about it. I’m a big Insomniac fan and especially love their creativity in weapons and mechanics in games like the Ratchet & Clank Series or Sunset Overdrive. Having them restricted to the more tried and true powers of Spider-Man and constrained by Disney’s overbearing licensing division seemed like it woul...
bigsocrates
How to Hate Magic: The Gathering I: Intro/Imbalances
Published Nov 12, 2023
When assessing a piece of media, a lot of audiences like to use a scale-based approach, where they list its achievements on one side and its failures on the other, and they see which weighs more. It's also a technique I've seen hobbyists use to try and determine whether a game review's score is justified by its text. There are circumstances under which this Column A/Column B approach to media c...
gamer_152 (Premium member)
On its third anniversary PlayStation 5 is a massive success, but are there cracks showing?
Published Nov 12, 2023
Three years into its lifespan you can actually get a PS5 in a store, like a normal consumer good, and with a free game bundled to boot (at least while they clear out the old stock.) The thing that will always stand out to me about the PS5 is the process of obtaining one. I checked Wario64’s Twitter feed for months, making probably two dozen attempts to grab one by any means necessary that did n...
bigsocrates
In Praise of Hi Fi Rush (And The GOTY 2023 Categories It Will Inevitably Get Snubbed For)
Published Nov 11, 2023
Tango Gameworks ' Hi-Fi Rush released on January 25, 2023 to reasonable critical acclaim, but seems to have since (understandably) lost most of its mindshare in the greater gaming community due one of the most ludicrously stacked release calendars for post-pandemic video games. Yet ever since it came out, it has remained rent-free in my mind. It was so disarmingly charming from the very first m...
bludgeonparagon (Premium member)
[Rant] Seriously, do these "always online" developers never want to pause or save and quit a game?
Published Nov 11, 2023
I've been picking away at Redfall since I started it in October and I really should stop. Today I was playing a couple of the "story" missions and got to one where you're searching this house multiple times and there are no lights so you have to use a flashlight. It was boring and frustrating and it was making my eyes tired. After awhile I wanted to just save and quit and come back to it later,...
bigsocrates
Indie Game of the Week 345: Quarantine Circular
Published Nov 10, 2023
I did not anticipate that I would enjoy Mike Bithell 's 2017 adventure game short Subsurface Circular as much as I did ( IGotW #97 ), about a group of robots riding the subway and having discussions about the events and politics happening topside. That early apprehension had nothing to do with my opinions on Bithell's previous works, which have always been excellently written with a professiona...
mento (Premium member)
Three years in the Xbox Series lacks identity. Playing out the string or calm before the storm?
Published Nov 10, 2023
We’re three years into the Xbox Series console cycle and a few things have become clear. The first is that the Xbox Series S has not worked out the way that Microsoft hoped. Not only has it not become a major driver in Xbox adoption, at least as far as we can see, but its technical limitations have started to cause issues, such as the Baldurs Gate 3 Xbox delay, and sent developers grumbling. Th...
bigsocrates
Beta Report: The Finals
Published Nov 9, 2023
I spent 20 hours with The Finals over the last week and my dominant thought by the conclusion of the beta was this: could I reasonably fit a game’s pre-release playtest onto my game of the year list? That would be crazy, wouldn’t it? The Finals is competitive first-person shooter from Embark Studios , a Swedish game development outfit founded by former DICE developers. It is not a battle royale...
nateandrews
Changing the Game Eliza Schneider's Impact on Animation and Video Games
Published Nov 8, 2023
Eliza Schneider is one of the most prolific voice actors working today. In fact, chances are likely you’ve heard her voice before — even if her name doesn’t automatically ring a bell. Billed as “The Woman of a Thousand Voices,” Schneider’s influence on the entertainment industry cannot be overstated, and her impact on the animation and video game world is being felt year after year. A modern-da...
itgametime
The Pathless' fun traversal makes its post game better than its main campaign and I wish more games would learn from it
Published Nov 8, 2023
The Pathless is a game with an interesting pedigree. Developed by Giant Squid, a company formed by former employees of thatgamecompany (makers of Journey) and previously responsible for 2016’s Abzu. The Pathless was also a touted PS5 launch semi-exclusive, also launching on PC and mobile (and PS4 like a lot of 9 th gen titles) but no other console at the time. It later made its way to Xbox and...
bigsocrates
Lady Sylvana Windrunner is the next character to join my Video Game Hall of Fame
Published Nov 7, 2023
This week, Lady Sylvana Windrunner joins Illidan Stormrage and Arthas Menethil as the third Warcraft representative for my Video Game Hall of Fame. Next week's character will also be from the Warcraft series.
justiceleaguecanada (Premium member)
Mega Archive CD: Part VII: From Ecco the Dolphin to Jangou World Cup
Published Nov 7, 2023
Welcome back once again to another Mega Archive CD, the glossy, reflective younger brother of the Mega Archive archival/research wiki project. Most Sega fans are celebrating this month by playing the new Like a Dragon spin-off, The Man Who Erased His Name , but I'm too cool for all that. I'm instead poring over the data for early CD-ROM experiments released thirty years ago, many of which have...
mento (Premium member)
Automotive Lubricants
Published Nov 5, 2023
Automotive Lubricants ENGINE OIL WHOLESALE MANUFACTURER AND SUPPLIERS Engine oil consists of additives added base oil for its enhancement, additives like viscosity index improvers, anti-wear additives, dispersants, and detergents. It is mainly used to clean the engine from varnish and sludge, and reduce the wear on moving parts ( Gears , piston, etc) and reduce the friction between them as much...
garslubricants
Indie Game of the Week 344: Guacamelee! 2
Published Nov 3, 2023
¡Hola amigos y amigas! Mi nombre es Mento. ¿Dónde está la biblioteca? But that's enough of my powerful command over the Spanish language for now, as this week we're featuring a Mexican-themed game to celebrate the Day of the Dead in a fashionably late manner. It's Guacamelee! 2 , the second in the luchador explormer series from Drinkbox Studios , a developer from the Mexico-adjacent country of...
mento (Premium member)
I Got My Mech Fix From A Pokémon Clone On The Neo Geo Pocket Color Instead Of Armored Core VI And I Don't Regret It!
Published Nov 3, 2023
The Neo Geo Pocket Color Is A Cool Thing (And So Is/Was Portable Gaming) You are looking at one of the best feeling analog sticks ever made. We live in a new era of gaming where dedicated handhelds are all but dead, with the Switch, smartphones, and portable PCs taking up their mantle. What sometimes gets lost with time is how handhelds and the games developed for them had their own unique styl...
zombiepie (Premium member)
All Saturn Games In Order: June 1996 (Part 1)
Published Nov 1, 2023
An explanation of what I'm doing here can be found in my introduction post . Last time we struggled through the May 1996 releases of wipEout, Iron Storm: World Advanced Strategy, Earthworm Jim 2, Slam 'n' Jam '96 Featuring Magic and Kareem, Rise 2: Resurrection, WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game, and Striker '96 . I hope you like sports, because we're beginning our journey through June with Vir...
borgmaster (Premium member)
AtheistPreacher’s Favorite Games of 2023
Published Nov 1, 2023
I’m posting my GOTY list unfashionably early this year because, looking ahead at the upcoming releases, there’s nothing else this year that I’m looking to buy at launch. As usual, if time and money were no objects, there are other games I would have liked to try, like the Dead Space remake or the recently released Alan Wake II . But any other tentpole 2023 releases are things for which I’m prob...
atheistpreacher
Week 44's Video Game Hall of Fame Recipient is Nemesis
Published Oct 31, 2023
Just in time for Halloween, the next character added to the Video Game Hall of Fame is Resident Evil's Nemesis T-Type. Next week's character will be from the World of Warcraft series.
justiceleaguecanada (Premium member)
64 in 64: Episode 35
Published Oct 31, 2023
mento (Premium member)
The Becoming: Dehumanisation in Scorn
Published Oct 31, 2023
Note: This article contains major spoilers for Scorn, Die Hard, Get Out, and I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream. When horror has terrified audiences, it's traditionally done it by exploiting the viewer, reader, or listener's relation to the main characters. If the work is knowingly fashioned, the person interacting with it can put themselves in the shoes of the protagonist, so when that charact...
gamer_152 (Premium member)
Indie Game of the Week 343: Demon Turf
Published Oct 27, 2023
This Halloween month's seen killer sharks, demons, and ghosts on IGotW so what better way to end than with, uh, more demons? Demon Turf is a 3D platformer from Fabraz and Playtonic Friends with a sorta Doom -ish aesthetic by way of PaRappa the Rapper . It uses 2D sprites against 3D environments, possibly as a means to keep the game running as fluidly as possible as that would be paramount for t...
mento (Premium member)
The Fitness App Created with Gamers In Mind
Published Oct 26, 2023
In a world where screens and controllers dominate our daily lives, finding the motivation to prioritize physical activity can often feel like an uphill battle. The lure of virtual realms, epic quests, and the thrill of leveling up in our favorite video games can be hard to resist. But what if there was a fitness app made with gamers in mind? Enter PlayFitt , pioneering the realm of gamified fit...
itgametime
All Saturn Games In Order: May 1996
Published Oct 25, 2023
An explanation of what I'm doing here can be found in my introduction post . Last week we closed out our initial stint with the 3DO in 1994 by looking at Off-World Interceptor, Strahl, Shanghai Triple-Threat, Starblade, and AD&D: Slayer . Last time we were with the Saturn, we looked at the April '96 classics X-Men: Children of the Atom, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei, and Guardian Heroes . Now we're ch...
borgmaster (Premium member)
Unlocking Efficiency and Insights: The Power of Data Management Automation, AI, and Integration
Published Oct 25, 2023
Today’s business world is drowning in data. Consumer data, product data, marketing data, analytics data, and more are growing at a rate of 328.77 million terabytes of data per day. To stay afloat, many companies are turning to data management automation. By unleashing automated processes for collecting, securing, and utilizing data, businesses are able to unlock efficiencies and insights that d...
itgametime