Review by Matt S. “Noir” is not just a great word; it’s a great genre. Presenting us with worlds of shadow, where the dark swallows the light, and where the good guys are not as heroic as they should be, and the bad guys represent the cancers that are slowly…
Read MoreArticle by Matt S. One of my favourite films of all time is Stand By Me. It fascinated me because it really was the “discovery” film for so many of my favourite actors while they were young. But, more than that, the way the film approached the coming of age…
Read MoreAgatha Christie is one of the most successful novelists of all time. Her works, which include 66 novels and 154 short stories, specialise in thrilling whodunit mysteries, and indeed, aside from Arthur Conan Doyle, it’s difficult to think of a single person more influential over that paticular genre. Agatha Christies:…
Read MoreDear readers, please bear with me. It’s been a long day. I’ve spent hours in front of an old CRT monitor at a police station watching video evidence, trying to determine… … Wait. No. That was an iPad, not a mid-90s computer monitor. There were definitely hours spent in front…
Read MoreTakashi Miike is one of the most prolific and transgressive of Japan’s modern cinema directors. Best known for 13 Assassins, Dead or Alive (no, it has nothing to do with the games), and Ichi the Killer, Miike likes indulging in a spot of the old ultraviolence and in-out (I do…
Read MoreIf you’re going to promise a noir genre game, then you should deliver one. The Detail starts well. Players find themselves thrust into a world of heavy contrast and are immediately tasked with helping two cops break into a house to apprehend someone potentially responsible for doing some very nasty…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Naoki Urasawa‘s Monster is rarely out of print, and for good reason; if anyone needs proof that the manga form has artistic legitimacy, it is this landmark example of crime fiction. But in the off chance that you haven’t had the chance to check Monster out…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Murdered: Soul Suspect frustrates me; it’s a game that shows a world of potential, but ultimately fails to execute on its many promises. In so many ways this game is the textbook case study of the issues with big budget game development. But first, the very…
Read MorePreview by Matt S. I think I’m going to enjoy Murdered: Soul Suspect. Based on the first hour or so of gameplay that I got to have hands on time with, it seems to be something genuinely creative and different. The set-up from the start is classic supernatural noire. Players…
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