Nintendo’s next generation is off to a great start
Backward compatibility is not a guarantee of success. The Wii U could play most Wii games, and it still ended up being a failure. But it’s a feature that benefits both consumers and the industry…
Author: Andrew Webster
Classic survival horror is still alive and scaring
More than most genres, survival horror feels rooted in time. It started with the methodical Resident Evil on the original PlayStation and is defined in part by limitation — a slow pace, grimy visuals, and…
I’ve given up on trying to predict what Nintendo will do — especially when it comes to the Switch 2
In 2018, Nintendo invited me to a meeting in New York City to see a mysterious new initiative. It was teased as an “interactive experience for Nintendo Switch,” which sent my mind to all sorts…
‘I woke up and had the whole idea in my head’: returning to Area X with Jeff VanderMeer
After a decade away, Jeff VanderMeer is heading back into Area X. In 2014, the author released all three parts of the Southern Reach trilogy over the span of just a few months, and the…
Nintendo’s Alarmo is cute and cozy — but it’s still just an alarm clock
I have always had an adversarial relationship with alarm clocks. They are gadgets designed to ruin my most precious time, and in order to work effectively, they must be as annoying as possible. Which is…
The Nintendo DS introduced touchscreens to a generation of gamers.
Decades before we got married and started a family, my partner and I connected over a little Boxer pup named Charlie. We tossed a ball around, scrubbed him down when he got dirty, and took…
The stunning indie game Gris now has a beautiful follow-up about love and loss
After the launch of Gris, a beautiful game exploring grief, the team at Nomada Studio in Barcelona needed a long break. They spent around half a year not even thinking about what was next, avoiding…
Why Persona’s longtime director made an epic fantasy RPG
Persona 5 helped the roleplaying franchise break out with mainstream audiences, and it’s also a game that was in the works for a long time. Early work began in 2008, just after Persona 4 came…
Starfield’s big Shattered Space expansion isn’t weird enough
It’s been a long time coming for Starfield players. Bethesda’s sci-fi take on Skyrim originally launched last summer, and while there have been some updates and improvements since then, it’s taken more than a year…
Nintendo’s shiny new museum needs more dirt
The inspiration for Nintendo’s new museum came, at least in part, from an ongoing irritation for Shigeru Miyamoto. At a certain point every year, the Super Mario creator does a presentation for the hundred or…
The Plucky Squire is an adorable adventure that mixes 2D and 3D
The Plucky Squire is a game that leaps off the page — literally. It takes place in a storybook world rendered in an adorable two dimensions thanks to codirector and former Pokémon artist James Turner.…
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What the hell did I just watch? A Megalopolis review
There’s a refreshing idealism to Megalopolis. In a time overflowing with grim, nihilistic postapocalyptic stories, Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film is a retrofuturistic parable about creating a better world through architecture, science, and dreams. Unfortunately,…
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Hugh Grant is absolutely terrifying in A24’s horror flick Heretic
Heretic is centered on two young Mormon missionaries — Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) — who aren’t having much luck preaching the good word door-to-door. So, when they meet Mr. Reed…
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The latest Castlevania collection is truly excellent
For anyone looking to explore the best Castlevania has to offer, the just-launched Castlevania Dominus Collection is pretty much a no-brainer. It includes a trilogy of games from the Nintendo DS era that show designer…
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Nintendo gets dark with detective game Emio
Sure, it’s not straight-up horror as the early teasers suggested, but even still, Emio — The Smiling Man is among the darkest games Nintendo has ever made. It’s a murder mystery that doesn’t skimp on…
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Star Wars Outlaws is a perfectly fine open-world game set in an incredible universe
Star Wars Outlaws isn’t a game you play because you want to experience the most innovative open world. It’s not full of ideas that will shake up the genre, and its structure and gameplay can…