Review: Metroid Dread

Review: Metroid Dread

Author: Rich Meister

It’s been almost twenty years since Metroid Fusion, our last mainline 2D Metroid game and somehow Metroid Dread seems worth the wait. Dread was first announced back in 2005 and then disappeared for a very long time only to reemerge this year just a few months before launching. Somehow despite over a decade in development hell, Metroid Dread delivers. It brings the same exploration and excellent boss design that we’ve come to expect from the series, all while bringing the journey Samus has been on since the original NES game to a satisfying conclusion.

What made gaming click for you?

What made gaming click for you?

Author: Ray McGill

Ever since I was about 5 years old, we had some form of video game system in the house. My parents were not the type to play games themselves, so the hobby was a new one in my house, and it was something I took to immediately. I had this NES, and we had a handful of games that we owned. More often than not though, new games were experienced through renting them at a Blockbuster. I get it, I am old. However, it was those games that we owned, that I would get to play again and again that really made me realize how much fun gaming is as a hobby. Now some of the “classics” I owned as a kid were titles such as: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Konami, Captain Skyhawk by Rare, The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt obviously by Nintendo, and Infiltrator by Chris Gray. Some of those games are absolutely great, and some are...borderline unplayable really. But three of the games that I owned absolutely changed the way I looked at video games, and would go on to inform a lot of what I liked, and even like to this day. The first of those games is:

Hardware Review: Nintendo Switch OLED Edition

Hardware Review: Nintendo Switch OLED Edition

Author: Ray McGill

Since March 2017, Nintendo has been on a roll with its current console, the Switch. Hybridizing their handheld and console offerings, Nintendo decided to gamble on a system that can be played anywhere, and it has paid off for them big-time. Featuring a dock that turns the system into a 1080p-capable console, and a modular design that allows it to function as a handheld, the Switch has been the go-to console for many of us for a few years now. With over 89 million units shipped as of June 2021, the Switch has gotten many of us through this pandemic time with things like the quiet fun of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and the tactical excitement that is Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Nintendo has long stuck by their established brands to make sure the faithful always follow them, system after system.

Review: Jett The Farshore

Review: Jett The Farshore

Author: Rich Meister

Earth or a planet like it (it’s never made explicitly clear) is doomed, so the brave scouts set out for the Wyld of the Farshore. It’s not a new idea, but Jett: The Farshore presents it through a fresh lens and some interesting layers. Tor is a mysterious mountain that calls out to these desperate few from across the stars like a signal beacon via the Hymnwave.

See, the people of Jett’s world haven’t just scouted a new planet that might make a good home; their spiritual leaders have prophecized it. As the first scout team to set foot on The Farshore, your team has to establish a base camp and learn all you can about the flora and fauna of this strange new world.

Review: Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Review: Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Author: Rich Meister

Over the past week, I’ve seen a lot of people in and around the games media refer to Kena: Bridge of Spirits as a “great PS2 game.” It’s a fair comparison, but I think looking at Kena as merely an old style of game does it a disservice. Sure we don’t regularly get this brand of third-person action platformer anymore. Still, Kena excels at it and does so while bringing a Pixar level of charm to its characters and environments, even if it is a little rough around the edges.