Reviewed on PS4 One look at Metaloid: Origin and you’ll instantly be sent back to the glory days of the Sega Genesis. Quite frankly, Retro Revolution’s follow-up to Metagal very well could’ve been a Sega Genesis game back in the ‘90s. Though it initially arrived on Xbox One, Switch, and PC in 2019, the game just recently became available on […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 There’s something really tasty about a fat, juicy burger topped with cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and grilled onions. Maybe you even throw on some jalapeños. Oh, and did I mention this is an Angus burger? Yeah, it’s the epitome of a burger done right. Sometimes, though, I just want to go to the local mom-and-pop and […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 It’s kind of a cool little moment whenever we see a new 3D action-platformer — a throwback to the glory days of the Nintendo 64 when mascot titles like Super Mario 64 and Donkey Kong 64 reigned supreme. Tamarin from Chameleon Games takes great pride in being a callback to Jet Force Gemini, Banjo-Kazooie, and Conker’s […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 It’s been a busy few weeks for fans of Zelda-like titles. Near the end of August, Phoenotopia: Awakening brought back fond memories of Zelda 2 while providing a well-received adventure of its own. Just last week, Windbound channeled its inner Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild, delivering a survival experience with some fun sailing mechanics. […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 You wouldn’t be at fault for taking one look at Windbound and instantly making comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The fact is this game is very reminiscent of Nintendo’s classic oceanic adventure. As you play Windbound, though, you’ll notice that while there may be some Wind Waker influence present, the game is […]

Reviewed on PS4 The beat ‘em up genre has seen a revival of sorts the last few years. Games like Double Dragon: Neon and Streets of Rage 4 offered highly polished revivals of long-beloved series. Treachery in Beatdown City played more like an RPG with light brawler mechanics. Dungeon Punks and Dragon’s Crown infused upgrades and leveling into their adventures. […]

Reviewed on PS4 If the recent remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 are an indication of anything, it’s that old school survival horror is still rad. Both of those games delivered ‘90s-styled survival horror with all of the tweaks and refinements you’d expect out of a modern game, making them among the best in the genre. Daymare: […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 High-octane mech games have traditionally been third-person experiences. They’re pretty much shooters, but instead of a limber space marine, you play as a massive, hulking robot. Hardcore Mecha is the rare exception to the rule, providing that same kind of action-packed adventure but set on a 2D plane — and it works. The game was developed […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 One look at Gunlord X and you’d think it was released on Neo Geo in the early ’90s. Well, you’d only be half wrong, as the game was originally released for Neo Geo… back in 2012, though. The game also received an unofficial release on Dreamcast. Created by German developer NG:DEV.TEAM, the original Gunlord was a […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 One look at Sparklite from Red Blue Games, and it’s easy to instantly fall for its charm. Don’t let the beautiful pixel art and cute characters fool you, though. Sparklite is a tough little action-adventure game that wears its retro inspiration on its sleeve. It’s a lot of fun, and though the game’s pieces don’t always […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 Faith is a powerful thing. It can move mountains. It can restore dead lands. It can— aw, crap, I’m dead. Dark Devotion from Hibernian Workshop is a bastard-tough 2D action-adventure with some very specific inspirations, but the game carves its own path of death and despair, and it ultimately provides a thrilling experience worthy of its […]

10/30/2019 Update from the author: On Sunday, October 27, developer Benjamin Rivers reached out to me to inform me that he had released a worldwide update designed to fix a bug that was causing Worse Than Death to crash on PlayStation 4. After playing through the game a second time following the patch, I can confirm that the update indeed […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 There was a time when Grand Theft Auto wasn’t a sprawling landscape for you to deal out unhinged destruction, but rather a top-down, more-confined-yet-still-open-ended sandbox… for you to deal out unhinged destruction. Those were simpler times — not necessarily better than what we have now because the current GTA playground is a sheer joy to visit, […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 RICO is a strange shooter. On the one hand, it looks like an early era PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 game. On the other hand, it plays like a late era PlayStation 2 or Xbox game. Oddly enough, that’s part of the game’s charm, and what you get is a game that feels more old than […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 I still remember when the news got out that there was a new ToeJam & Earl game in the works. As someone who had never delved too deeply into the franchise, I was excited to see what this beloved cult classic series had to offer contemporary audiences. Here we are, several years after the initial announcement, […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 and Vita Note: Iconoclasts launched digitally in January 2018. This review is meant to coincide with the game’s physical disc release this month, but it is a review of the digital version of the game. Iconoclasts is a very fun game… if you skip the story bits. It’s strange to me that I’m recommending a game […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 It’s crazy to think that it’s been five whole years since the release of Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien. When that game launched in 2013, it quickly found a spot in my top favorites list. Runner2 was fast, fun, and colorful. Oh, and the music was incredible. Here we are five years later, and developer […]

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 Dead Cells is a beautiful game. It looks great. It sounds great. It plays great. Hell, playing it makes you feel great, too. Beauty aside, Dead Cells is also a vicious game, brutal to its very core and unrelenting. And yet, somehow, even despite its dastardly tactics, the game is welcoming — so much so that […]

Just like we saw a resurgence of 2D platformers at the start of the indie game boom, it would appear that we’re now witnessing a 3D platformer revival. As someone who grew up with the genre, I’m glad to see that style of game in 2017. Developed by Gears for Breakfast, A Hat in Time isn’t a flawless victory for […]

When de Blob launched for the Wii all the way back in 2008, it quickly became one of the most beloved third-party offerings on the console. I missed out on the game back then, and I always felt like it was a must-play Wii title that eluded me. I got a second chance to check out de Blob recently on […]