Preview by Matt S. One of my most stand-out blind spots, in terms of games that I have not played, has always been Catherine. As a game that has the reputation for offering up an unflinchingly adult look at relationships and sex, as well as Japanese youth culture, it’s something…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. The idea that Viz Media is getting into game publishing is a tantalising one; the specialist anime and manga publisher could do a great deal to bring a number of visual novels and JRPGs from Japan to our shores because, as many as do make their…
Read MoreReview by Trent P. I have never played real golf, only ever miniature golf. And miniature golf… well, while I think I’m a pro at it, I’m fairly sure the last time I played it with a few friends their two-year old ended up with a higher score than me.…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. After slogging through utterly mammoth reviews of Dead or Alive 6 and The Caligula Effect: Overdose – games that have a great deal of personal resonance with me – I needed to play something empty that I could be done with quickly. About the highest compliment…
Read MoreArticle by Matt S. Nintendo has come full circle, and it’s incredible to think a company is pulling exactly the same tricks that it did decades ago, in those heady early days of video games. It’s even more impressive that the company can surprise and delight in doing so. Related…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Nameko – “Funghi” in the west – is one of those odd success stories in Japan in which a character design has become so popular that the character has become famous simply for existing. While the popularity that drives Nameko is a little foreign to the…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. When we think about “surrealism” as it’s applied to videogames, we usually end up taken down some pretty dark paths. Hidetaka Suehiro with Deadly Premonition, and Goichi Suda with the likes of Killer7, immediately come to mind when thinking about surrealistic games, or alternatively something like…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Akihabara – Feel the Rhythm Remixed would have been so much more impressive if it came earlier in the year. Given that we’ve had both Lumines Remastered and Tetris Effect released this year, it’s been such a stand-out good time for puzzlers that blend in rhythmical…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. People who love Tetris will love Tetris Effect, because it is Tetris. If I’m stating the obvious, it’s only because this game was being pitched on not being a “pure” Tetris, but rather some kind of fusion between Tetris and the neon-and-music genius that made Rez…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Swap This! costs about a dollar. When I think about the other things I can get for a dollar – one candy bar, or about 1/3 of a cup of coffee, it’s hard to look at Swap This! as anything but good value. It’s a simple…
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