Author: Zach Barbieri

The Crush House is one of those weird games that feels perfectly in line with everything that Devolver Digital has put a value on over the previous years, the anti-consumerism that felt at home on 2000’s Adult Swim when Tim and Eric still had a show on it. Looking at the game objectively it’s hard to even believe developer Nerial came up with the idea on their own, but with Devolver having arguably the best track record of letting developers be as insane as they want to, I have little doubt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z30Scg9u1u4 What I do know, is when The Crush…

In case you have missed previous announcements for the annual THQ NORDIC Digital Showcase, the publisher has posted one final FINAL reminder on its website that the event will be held on August 2nd, 2024. The event will begin at 12:00 PM PDT / 3:00 PM EDT / 8:00 PM BST / 9:00 PM CEST and can be viewed via Twitch, YouTube, or Steam. In this press release, THQ reminds us that several games that have been in development will be featured in the event, including Disney’s Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, the Gothic 1 Remake, and Titan Quest 2. The publisher’s…

There are a lot of elements stuffed to the starting moments of Kitsune Tails before it eventually becomes the punishing platformer that it is that I honestly wish the game had more of. There is an engaging story front and center with an interesting time mechanic as you watch the seasons change right before you progress as you the world you are on. It was something I didn’t expect, to get invested in a game that played like Super Mario: The Lost Levels. To be fair, it’s not like these elements haven’t come up before in games like Celeste, or…

The CEO of Paradox Fredrik Wester has admitted that the publisher of projects such as Life by You has “made the wrong calls in several projects,” after the intended Sims competitor was canceled earlier this year. The title was canceled in June of this year, followed shortly after by the closer of the studio developing the game, Tectonic. During an earning report, Wester spoke on the project, stating it was a “difficult decision,” but “the game would not be able to meet our expectations.” He continued from this point, stating that areas in which the publisher needs to improve. He…

My first thought when starting Dungeons of Hinterberg, which was developed by Microbird Games, was how much the intro reminded me of Persona. This was in a good way of course. Your character arrives in a small town and spends blocks of their days meeting the locals, who slowly and methodically explain to the player the world and how to interact with it. It’s one of the many ways Dungeons of Hinterberg wears its inspirations directly on its sleeves. As somebody who has friends who constantly complain about slow opening like that, I could see how that could be a…

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2, the long-awaited sequel to the 2007 game of the same name being developed by GSC Game World, has received yet another in a long list of delays. This latest delay sees the game pushed back from its previous release date. Its new release date is slatted as November 20th, a decision which was made so that the studio could have “breathing room to address technical issues.” The studio announced this delay in a YouTube video that additionally poked fun at the fact they have had to delay the game a multitude of times called “Really, again?” This video…

Following the two beta events for Concord, both of which failed to make a dent at least on the Steam charts, it has been announced that the game will not feature a battle pass mechanic. This is a deviation from most live-service, multiplayer-focused games in recent years after the battle royale title Fortnite popularized this feature years ago. This came at a time when random chance loot boxes were the most popular monetization scheme, something that was criticized for being similar to gambling. In an FAQ shared by the developer via Twitter, Firewalk Studio explained its plans to abandon the…

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, at its core, borrows from a lot of other games that are, for lack of a better term, more successful in their execution. That being said, there was never a time in my experience with Flintlock when I thought I would rather just put this game down and play them. There is something charming at the heart of Flintlock that sort of grabs you and pulls you through, and I’m not sure what it was exactly as the game had many flaws on display from the opening moments. When at its best, there are new and interesting…

As much as I enjoy fighting games, my biggest issue has been finding the time to sit down and learn them. There probably was a time when I might have been considered an ok Blazblue player, had at least an understanding of Tekken, or had a friend base for multiple nights on Injustice or Mortal Kombat, but sadly that isn’t the case anymore. To be fair I love fighting games, and Evo (Evolution Championship Series) is my most anticipated event each year even more so than the VGAs or Summer Game Fest. This being said, I probably invest way too…

The thing is, from a business standpoint I understand the idea of a Live-Service game, like XDefiant for instance. Look at where this all started after all. Years ago the cost of development was already ballooning and a successful property could find additional ways to bring in revenue that were much lower risk. The absolute pinnacle of this is Call of Duty just printing dollar bills after release. And if you are a corporation like Ubisoft, just one successful Live-Service title could help fund any riskier projects in the pipeline… Like that Beyond Good & Evil 2, right guys? Remember…