Video games have a tendency to attempt a grand finale during their last acts, giving us a large, epic battle against something we have been preparing for the entire game. Sometimes, these moments come out of nowhere, but sometimes it leads to a final act that is exact what we might expect it to be. And yet, games rarely deliver. Final acts in games are generally bad, and even some of your favorites might suffer because of it. In the long run it might not matter, but to leave the player with an unsatisfactory or lazy conclusion might ruin their feelings on the entire game in the long run. Generally speaking, final acts in games tend to be missing something that everything prior to them did so well. READ MORE
I’m sure that everyone has, at some point in their life, wanted to go back in time and change something. Whether that is how you reacted to something, a decision you made, or even a conversation you had. Freebird Games’ indie title, To the Moon, is out to ask the question “what if you could go back?” Perhaps not go back in time, but go back through your memories and correct one thing in your life that takes you on a completely different journey. This is a game that asks a lot of interesting, almost philosophical questions about memories and does so in a heartfelt package. READ MORE
Ever since those crazy Rabbids took over, the Rayman series has been pushed to the side as if it never mattered in the first place. With Rayman Origins, the limbless hero returns with his first 2D outing since the original Rayman back in 1995. Many of the elements that made that game stand out back then apply here; it’s whimsical, addictive, and very French. And trust me, that’s a very good thing. READ MORE
Narration is not something you often see in games. For fans of film, narration as a means of exposition is something that is not unheard of. In games, especially outside of cutscenes or story moments, is not something that is often explored. At least I thought it wasn’t, until I played this year’s indie darling, Bastion, and discovered my love for narration all over again. Of course, Bastion is a much smaller game that doesn’t leave as much open in terms of exploration or choice. It made me wonder, could Bastion-style narration work in an open-world game? READ MORE
Another year, another Call of Duty game. This year we have the third and probably final Modern Warfare title, which sets out to finish the trilogy while also expanding on the series’ always popular multiplayer and Special Ops modes. As with any Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare 3 has a lot to offer despite most of it remaining relatively the same. READ MORE
