China is a nation and culture that we would all do well to learn more about. It is a nation on the rise, and will almost certainly overtake America in terms of its economic weight in the near future. For now, the softer side of diplomacy and cultural influence remains…
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I don’t have the opportunity to write about forensic games nearly enough, because there’s not nearly enough out there. But finally, I can! In a place where 5% of murders go unsolved, someone’s got to try and solve them. That’s the main goal in Tokyo Psychodemic, a 2D x cinematic…
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Deconstructeam is a developer I admire on principle alone. This is a team of people that are committed to building narrative experiences, and using gameplay mechanics as part of the fabric of storytelling. This is, I believe, how games should be, and Essays on Empathy and The Red Strings Club…
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I sure am tired of comparing creature-collecting games to Pokémon, but most seem to be inspired by it. Cassette Beasts is no different: it’s got a very Pokémon-esque quality to it, but then turns that around with something new – creature-fusing! There are over 100 monsters to collect and transform…
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I love love. I believe only those with heart made of coal could think otherwise, because love is such a happy feeling. Being kidnapped? That’s less happy. And that’s what happens in Charade Maniacs: a girl is kidnapped but ends up finding love as a result. The game is already…
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KarmaZoo is a wholesome little thing with some real potential to become a multiplayer favourite. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with a couple of other critics, and a member of the Pasta Games dev team to play through some of the co-op experience. Though I’m not someone…
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At first, I was drawn to ghostpia Season One (there are two “seasons” planned) for its visuals – it’s almost like watching a cartoon on an on VHS tape! But I’m most excited for the the dark yet humourous story and the eclectic characters. Last month we learned that PQube…
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Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a strangely triumphant production. By rights, it shouldn’t even exist. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a 2022 anime spinoff of the 2020 video game Cyberpunk 2077 from Polish game developers CD Projekt Red, itself an adaptation of Mike Pondsmith’s 1988 pen and paper role playing game Cyberpunk (later Cyberpunk…
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Mary Skelter Finale may be banned in Australia (don’t even get me started on that) but it’s definitely worth getting regardless: in his review of the game for Nintendo Switch, Matt called the series as a whole “both mechanically deep and thematically rich” and stated that the finale is “the…
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Around this time next year, there will be a special event near Fuefuki in the heart of Yamanashi Prefecture (the one you travel through to get to Nagano from Tokyo). For decades there has been an annual recreation of the Battle of Kawanakajima, one of the most compelling and dramatic…
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