Escape From Duckov Review

Oct 16, 2025

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and for Escape From Duckov is that. It clearly looks to Escape from Tarkov as inspiration, and comparisons are inevitable when 81% of the name matches. It evens goes so far as to ape so much of the weapons, ammo, attachments, items, systems, and locales that it’s hard for the game to present its own identity in contrast. That said, Escape From Duckov is an accessible top-down PVE extraction shooter, but it leaves me wanting more originality and fun that it claims to have.

BALL x PIT Review

Oct 15, 2025

BALL x PIT (pronounced Ball Pit) is just as fun as the ones you’d play in as a kid, except here there’s no chance of catching a disease from it. Not to be reductive, but this is essentially Breakout meets Vampire Survivors meets Stardew Valley, albeit with its own flavor and dressing. This is a game of endless combinations of builds and loadouts for an action roguelite with unique twists to keep you coming back for “just one more run”. In general, I think ‘addiction’ is too strong a word in almost any context, especially games. When it comes to BALL x PIT, it’s evident that it has all the hooks to be the next fixation to enter the zeitgeist.

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles Review

Oct 14, 2025

I had this sort of a blank spot on what I like to call my “Strategy RPG (SRPG) history”: Final Fantasy Tactics. I played a bit of it back in the PlayStation 1 days but soft locked myself in a battle. Fast forward many years and I finally reached the ending in “War of the Lions” — the PSP re-release with added content and cinematics. I didn’t think much of it back then, it was a very good SRPG, but as someone who grew up playing PC games, especially Heroes of Might & Magic, it wasn’t my favorite “flavor” so to speak. It took me almost 20 years, and another part re-release, part remaster “Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles”, to finally understand how brilliant it is.

Battlefield 6 Review

Oct 09, 2025

The teams behind crafting Battlefield 6 leaned heavily on the community to build it from the ground up, and its sturdier than the foundations the prior games were built on. This is a game that’s serious in tone but isn’t afraid to have fun. I sure hope you like explosions, because during any given match there’s at least one going off every five seconds that’s sure to rattle your headset or speaker setup. It’s beautiful bedlam on display without compromise. Battlefield 6 hits all the right notes with its wanton destruction, hallmark chaos, and above all is a game built by fans, for fans.

Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition Review

Sep 29, 2025

Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition takes the original VR experience of Alien: Rogue Incursion and puts it onto flatscreens for an often exciting and engaging non-VR encounter. The translation shows Survios put in a lot of work to make this looks and feel substantially different, and succeeds. Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition has enough going for it to be excited about. At $30, Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition is properly priced for a standalone game that features only “Part One” of the story.

Borderlands 4 Review

Sep 25, 2025

Gearbox invented the looter shooter with Borderlands, and in a lot of ways the series didn’t grow with the times. Borderlands 4 is a game that feels like its going through some growing pains, as it feels like a direct response to player feedback over prior entries. It’s less wacky, more grounded, and in doing so, it finds a new level of confidence even if it loses a bit of its personality along the way. “Diablo with guns” is still an incredibly compelling gameplay loop, that is further improved upon and refines the looter shooter. Gearbox still does it like no one else, and Borderlands 4 is a fantastic time solo or with friends.

Baby Steps Review

Sep 23, 2025

I spent an entire real-life hour trying to reach the top of a boulder, repeatedly positioning and clenching and adjusting and stepping and grunting and hoping… and then falling. And falling. And falling. To an onlooker, this experience must have appeared a veritable deluge of the same be-onesied body, limp and hapless, sprawled and slippery, slick with mud and (probably) a little piss. To me, though, it conjured a poignant question, swirling about amidst the ephemera of my troubled mind: am I just a stubborn asshole?

My goal was to trek, by foot, to the top of a mountain. My goal was to reach the castle. My goal was to wish to “the angel” to whisk me away back home, away from this hellish Ouroboros absolutely riddled with fantasy detritus, to see me placed safely upon the sofa in my parents’ basement where I could marathon One Piece in peace, punctuating episodes with bong hits, and live the rest of my life slowly dissolving into the cushions under the sheer weight of yet another pizza delivery. However, despite the clarion call, I found myself once against distracted by my arch nemesis.

Peaches.

NHL 26 Review

Sep 17, 2025

Growing up in Montreal, being both a diehard Canadiens fan and an equally diehard gamer, the annual release of EA’s NHL series has always felt like Christmas morning. There’s a certain magic to cracking open a new entry and imagining fresh features, improved gameplay, and a more authentic simulation of the fastest game on ice. But with NHL 26, that excitement quickly gave way to déjà vu. After two decades with this franchise, I can say this year’s release is one of EA’s least ambitious efforts. For a game that promised innovation, realism, and polish, it feels more like NHL 25.5 than a true next step.

Hell is Us Review

Sep 16, 2025

In a world of constant hand-holding, where the next objective is always a glowing beacon on a mini-map and the path forward is a neon breadcrumb trail, a game like Hell is Us feels like a rebellious statement. Developed by Rogue Factor and published by NACON, this third-person action-adventure doesn’t just ask you to explore a devastated world; it demands that you inhabit it. It’s a game that asks you to pay attention, to remember, and to connect the dots yourself, and for the most part, it’s a wonderfully refreshing—if occasionally frustrating—experience. Hell is Us leans on its ambition and artistic vision to be a bold and compelling adventure that you’ll be thinking about it long after the credits roll.

Henry Halfhead Review

Sep 16, 2025

On its head, Henry Halfhead is game with wacky physics interactions and funny moments. But once you spend more than a few minutes with it, you’ll find that it desires to explore the human condition. Part sandbox, part story, Henry Halfhead is all heart. Henry Halfhead is a fun and lighthearted in its execution of the story it wants to tell, but if you listen close, you’ll find a game that has emotional weight.

Sword of the Sea Review

Sep 12, 2025

Sword of the Sea is a delightful surprise, coming out of seemingly nowhere in a year that has already been full of surprises. I’m kind of shocked there hasn’t been more buzz about this game given how incredibly beautiful it is and how relaxing and fun the gameplay is right from the start, not to mention that it’s easily Giant Squid’s best game to date, but hey, I don’t write the headlines or control where people turn their attention. All I can do is plead with you to take a look at Sword of the Sea and give it a shot because it seriously deserves your time.

SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance Review

Sep 10, 2025

Whenever I think about “Shinobi”, my mind takes me back to my youth, dying endlessly in “Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master” for the Mega Drive (or Genesis, like you folks in the US call it). It was a mix of high intensity levels with precision platforming that it took me years to find anything quite like it. When “SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance” was announced, my immediate reaction was “Wait, this isn’t Shinobi, Shinobi isn’t about mixing up combos”. In many ways, I was both right and wrong.

POSTAL: Brain Damaged – These Sunny Daze Review

Sep 08, 2025

It’s been three years since POSTAL: Brain Damaged released, and we finally have the first DLC ready to soak up for our enjoyment and pleasure. These Sunny Daze is not far off from Duke Caribbean: Life’s A Beach expansion for Duke Nukem 3D, but the short runtime is coincidentally how often you should reapply sunscreen. There’s new weapons, enemies, and places to go that fixes a lot of the pacing issues I had with the base game’s levels. POSTAL: Brain Damaged – These Sunny Daze manages to be a tropical and topical fun in the sun.

METAL EDEN Review

Sep 05, 2025

METAL EDEN is a fast-paced, sci-fi first-person shooter that has more in common with boomer shooters, yet it looks like a modern shooter with a strong visual style. Reikon Games is back with a game that’s pure, unadulterated velocity. After their previous outing with the brutal and stylish top-down shooter RUINER, the studio has traded the isometric perspective for the full-throttle chaos in this FPS. METAL EDEN is just dripping with style, and is not short on substance to match.

Mafia: The Old Country Review

Aug 20, 2025

Mafia: The Old Country is a prequel that introduces us to the sun-drenched landscapes of 1900s Sicily, as opposed to the familiar urban jungles of America we’ve been used to. The series’ dedication to historical authenticity and its unflinching narrative grit is something that’s continued since the now 23-year old first game. This is a decidedly slower paced story that doesn’t always pay off, and often goes in predictable directions, it still manages to have well-earned payoffs. After riding horseback through dusty vineyards and tense shootouts in dimly lit catacombs, Mafia: The Old Country is a compelling, if occasionally flawed, return to form.