News by Matt S. Ahhh, the ’50s. The boomers were just being born, and at that age, they were cuter than the odious wealth hoarders they would become. Ronald Reagan wouldn’t drive feral libertarianism as the world economic standard for another 30 years. In fact, back then, the world was…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. The question of “what happens after the world has been saved from the end boss” is one that a few RPGs have explored over the years. It’s a difficult topic to tackle as a video game, though, because it naturally assumes that the world has returned…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. Story of Seasons (previously Harvest Moon) has been going on for many iterations and generations now, and maintains a healthy community of fans. Why? Because they speak to a very core part of the Japanese spirit. In this video I give you an early first look…
Read MorePreview by Matt S. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is a 2D platformer… but it’s also so much more than that. It’s a surprisingly complex rice-growing simulator, and that side of it is something of deep cultural value and meaning to the Japanese. With the preview embargo for the game…
Read MoreReview by Harvard L. Chinese Parents looked like a harmless enough life sim. What harm could it do, with its colourful, cutesy art-style and the premise of tracing a young Chinese child from birth to their eventual undertaking of the Gaokao (the university entrance exam)? As I now know, it…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Through the Darkest of Times is a critically important game that is so relevant and poignant today and we should all play it (and then be terrified by its implications). It’s the kind of game that belongs in schools and museums because the points its making…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Harvest Moon (now Story of Seasons; this is a continuation of the old Harvest Moon, and Harvest Moon in the west now is actually a different series. I know it’s confusing, but it is what it is) is like Animal Crossing but with just a little…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. Idol Manager has been plugging along as an indie project and in beta on Itch.io for quite some time now. The good news is that its horizons have expanded even further, as publisher, Playism, has picked up the rights to it. It will be getting a…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Finally, the Nintendo Switch has a simulator of a reasonably high production standard and is also enjoyable to play on the console. Finally. There have been a number of very good smaller simulators by indies (Project Highrise, for example), but the one really big fish effort…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. Railway Empire is the latest simulator to land on Nintendo Switch and, after a couple of prior disappointments, it is a delight to have one this of this high quality to enjoy. It is a truly excellent, spot-on port of an excellent train network simulator. In…
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